Things Better Left Unsaid
by winchested
Summary: Elena Gilbert breaks up with her boyfriend, Stefan and meets Damon at a club. They hook up then when school starts again, Elena finds that Damon is her history professor. AU AH
1. 4 Real

I don't own any of the characters or anything. This is an All Human AU. Delena.

**_If I show you, get to know you_**

**_If I hold you just for today_**

**_I'm not gonna wanna let go_**

**_I'm not gonna wanna go home_**

**_'Cause I'm for real, are you for real?_**

**_I can't help myself, it's the way I feel_**

**_When you look me in the eyes, like you did last night_**

**_I can't stand to hear you say goodbye_**

**_- 4 Real by Avril Lavigne_**

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SUMMER 2011

It wasn't abnormal to find Damon Salvatore at a night club over the weekend—but since it was summer, he found himself more drawn to the pulsing music, drunk people, dancing crowds, and the overall excitement of the flashing lights. He was a heartbreaker—a player, a ladies' man. But it was almost as if he led two separate lives. There was his private life that was filled with women and booze then there was his job—teaching.

Twenty-nine year old Damon Salvatore was a history professor at one of the most prestigious private universities in the state of Virginia. It was rare for a man at his age to find such a secure and respected job in the education industry. He loved it. When he was still in school, he was ahead of his class, skipping four grades, thus graduating high school at the age of fourteen. His father had always expected him to take the family business—a very successful one at that. With a mind like his, he could take the business to so many different levels. But that wasn't what Damon wanted. He didn't want to take after his controlling bastard if a father. So he became a college professor.

He was known to be a very good teacher, too. But most of his students were aware of his activities outside of the classroom and he found that many of his female students tried to get it on with him. But he refused to have an affair with his students—keeping work and private life separate. However, he still liked toying with those girls—not literally or physically, of course. He would deliberately flirt back, making them believe there was something going on when there wasn't.

If he wanted sex, he would pick a girl up properly.

He hadn't come to this club to get stuck upon one girl. He didn't come to meet Elena Gilbert. But things happen for a reason.

She was enjoying her summer off of school—the university Damon Salvatore taught at. Okay, so her definition of fun wasn't sitting at the bar of a night club all alone. She wasn't much of a night club type of girl anyway—not anymore that is. Caroline and Bonnie had dragged her to the club to have fun and forget about Stefan, her ex boyfriend as of this morning. She and Stefan had been dating for over three years—it had always been on and off for them but this time was different. This time, he had cheated on her with his ex, Katherine.

So after her friends decided they would party all night, she decided they were right. She needed to relax and forget Stefan. She needed to live a little.

But now, she was starting to regret it. Bonnie and Caroline were some where in the club dancing and making out with guys while she sat sipping a beer.

"Did it hurt?" She heard someone murmur huskily into her ear. She all but jumped out of her seat, but couldn't help but feel turned on by just this man's velvet voice. Her neck snapped around to find the bluest eyes she had ever seen staring into hers. His eyes were so captivating and she couldn't help but feel so lost in them. She then noticed his features and could feel the heat on her cheeks, God, he was beautiful. Drop dead gorgeous.

"I…" She gulped. "Did what hurt?" She blinked, breaking out of the trance.

Damon smirked and seated himself down beside her. "When you fell from heaven."

Automatically, Elena burst into laughter. She was flattered, but that had to be one of the lamest pick up lines ever. "That was incredibly cheesy." She teased.

He laughed too then shrugged. "So? It worked." Damon winked at her.

Despite the butterflies in her stomach, Elena felt more confident. "It did." She agreed. "Have any more of those?"

"Plenty." He grinned at her.

"But I'm interested in why someone as beautiful as you is sitting here all alone."

"I'm not alone anymore." She pointed out.

Damon smirked, nodding. "Not anymore." He repeated.

"My turn to try a cheesy pick up line." Elena said flirtatiously, shocked at her own boldness.

"Yeah?" Damon leaned in.

"Kiss me if I'm wrong, but is your name… Ian?"

He smirked, leaning in and pressing a soft, slow, teasing kiss to her lips. "Damon." He corrected pulling away.

Elena was left breathless, still shocked at her own behavior, and completely lost in the kiss. She felt so attracted to him—she was drawn to him and he brought something different in her; this energy and boldness. Adrenaline. "Damon." She repeated in a whisper and a smile. "I'm Elena." She added.

"Beautiful name." He replied, smiling.

"Are you single?" He asked bluntly. Sure, she was flirting with him and they had already kissed but he wanted to make sure she wasn't anyone else's. There was something about her. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but she was amazing. She wasn't like anyone he had ever met and he barely knew her. They had this connection that he couldn't explain and he felt like he was being pulled towards her.

"Yes." Elena answered without hesitating. "You?"

"Totally single." He grinned, ignoring the fact that he had told a girl not too long ago that he wanted to take her home.

"Good." Elena found herself saying then blushing. "Do you live around here?" She asked.

"I do. Would you look to see?" He offered, raising his brows and winking at her.

Elena blushed deeper. "I'd love to." She nodded. Wait, did she just agree to let this man take her home? What was happening to her?

"Great." Damon grinned, getting up and offering her his arm.

Elena stood up and told hold of his arm, bringing her body close to his—enjoying the smell of his cologne. She had almost forgotten about Bonnie and Caroline who caught Elena walking out of the club with a mysterious hot guy. But they weren't the only ones watching the two, many people turned their heads to watch them as if they were the 'it' couple. Their spark was clearly visible.

The second they were inside his apartment, his lips crushed into hers, his hands wandering around her body.

Elena moaned as he pressed her against the wall, kissing down her neck. Her legs hooked around his waist, hands wandering beneath the cloth of his shirt to explore his muscles. Retrieving her hand, she began to tug on the shirt, wanting it off. He pulled back, the lust in his eyes, pulling his shirt off then going to undo the zipper at the back of her dress.

While they continued undressing each other, they ended up sprawled across his bed, wrestling. Elena Gilbert didn't do one night stands but for some reason this was different. There was something different about Damon.

* * *

Elena was warm and comfortable—she felt as if she truly belonged here. Wait, here? Where's here? Damon. Last night. She had met him at the club and had sex with him. What the hell was wrong with her? She barely even knew him. She had expected him to be lying beside her but he wasn't. She was all alone in the bed. Slowly, she began to sit up, rubbing her eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful." She found Damon walk into the bedroom with a tray full of food—breakfast. He winked at her before making his way over to set it down in front of her. God, he was perfect and he didn't even try. Damon had decided to go shirtless… clothes-less even. The only thing he was wearing was boxers.

Elena cleared her throat. "Hi." She smiled shyly at him then looked at the breakfast. "Oh my god, you really didn't have to do all this…" She said, running a hand through her dark hair and blushing.

"I wanted to." Damon replied simply, sitting down across from her.

"Thank you." She smiled at him before reaching for his shirt and pulling it over her head.

Damon grinned, quite obviously pleased at that. "You're welcome."

"Did you make all of this?" Elena asked him as they started to eat.

Damon nodded, "What do you think?" It was the first time he had slept with a girl and made her breakfast the next morning. What kind of effect did this woman have on him?

"It's amazing." She said after swallowing.

"Thanks."

Elena nodded. "So what do you do, Damon?"

"I'm a college professor." He answered, "What about you?"

Wait, Damon was a teacher? Elena could tell he was older, but just how older was he? He couldn't be all that old, right? Late twenties, most likely.

"I'm a student, actually. My senior year starts this fall." She explained, not wanting to seem too young compared to him. She was turning twenty two in September.

Damon was surprised to hear that. She was a student? What the fuck. She was perfect—he would actually consider being in a more serious relationship with her but if she was a student… Hell, she wasn't HIS student, right?

"What do you teach?" She asked.

"History." He answered with a smile.

"Really? I'm a history major." She admitted, grinning and taking a sip of her coffee.

Damon returned the grin.

The two just hit it off. Everything just fit. Soon, they were laughing and joking.

"Okay, okay, so you've never had to tell a drunk guy off before?" Damon asked with a smirk.

"No! Why would I need to? I don't hang around drunk guys. Why? I bet you have to deal with women swooning over you all the time."

"Why wouldn't you?" He snickered then shrugged. "I'm not gonna deny that." He smirked.

Elena laughed, rolling her eyes and playfully shoving him.

It fell silent as they finished up the food when Elena noticed how he kept glancing over at her constantly.

She looked up, blushing. "What?"

"I want to take you out." He answered suddenly.

Elena blinked, "What?"

"Me, you, dinner." He clarified with a smirk.

"Oh! … Yes. I'd like that." She smiled warmly at him, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Damon looked surprised. "What was that for?"

"Because you're really sweet. Thank you for breakfast." She said softly, their eyes locking together.

"You deserve it." He might not know Elena that well but he already knew she deserved the very best.

Then suddenly, her phone started ringing. Before Elena could reach for it, Damon had gotten up and handed it to her after picking it up off of the dresser.

She looked down at the caller. Stefan. Fuck. Why was that asshole calling her? No. No. No.

She hit ignore and turned back to Damon with a smile. "Sorry."

Damon shook his head, "No problem."

It started ringing again.

"You should get that.. It might be important." Damon finally said after they sat there listening to the phone continue ringing.

Elena nodded, answering it.

"What is it? I'm kind of busy right now. I don't have time for your bullshit." Her tone was harsh. Damon had turned away but was listening to her conversation.

"_I miss you, Elena. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." _Stefan said grimly.

"Shut up. Stop saying that. You aren't sorry." She tried to keep her tone harsh but she could feel her voice shaking. She was breaking.

"_Elena… Please. Let's talk about this. Can we meet up? Elena, you know I love YOU. Do you really want to throw away what we had?" _Stefan remained calm.

"You're the one that threw it away." She hissed, but she was still cracking. She was giving in.

"_Just… Let me explain." _He begged.

Elena's jaw clenched, glancing at Damon who was pretending not to listen then down at her lap. "Fine. Just… Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

She ended the call then suddenly got up. "I have to go." She refused to look at him now. She felt torn. But she couldn't pick Damon over Stefan. She barely knew this man. She couldn't trust the fact that she felt something different with him—she had to think realistically. Her life wasn't some fairytale where this new man, Damon would be her prince.

"What?" He got up too, confused. "Why..?"

"We can't be together, Damon." She murmured, taking his shirt off and pulling on her dress in a rush then reaching for her bag, dropping her phone into it.

Then she finally looked at him—though she really wished she didn't. He looked shocked and heartbroken.

"I'm sorry." She said sincerely, getting on her toes and kissing his cheek. "Thank you for the breakfast."

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Please review! :D


	2. He's Just Not Me

_**Thank you guys so much for reviewing! I'm really surprised at how much people wanted more of this. Sorry if this doesn't live up to what you expected to happen—I know a lot of you wanted Damon and Elena to get together or Elena agreeing to go out with him. I promise they will be together but just not in the second chapter ;). **_

_**When you're alone, is that when you know**_  
_**That you're making the greatest mistake?**_  
_**You're falling in love, and it's not enough**_  
_**And you know that your heart's gonna break.**_  
_**And it shows, that you're not meant to be**_  
_**'Cause he's just not me**_.

- He's just not me by Artist vs Po

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It was the first day of her last year before graduating. Elena was definitely excited. Everything was absolutely perfect. She had many, many friends (and a few close ones like Bonnie and Caroline), she had a great boyfriend (she and Stefan got back together), she had a job at Aunt Jenna's ever growing company (it was in the family and Elena's late mother decided not to take over leaving it for her little sister), and her little brother Jeremy was finally happy. She couldn't ask for anything more. The fling with the mysterious and charming man, Damon wasn't forgotten, but it might as well be. She refused to bring it up whenever Bonnie or Caroline would ask. Elena would shrug it off and tell them it was nothing. It would be best if she forgot about him. It would be best if she forgot about how much chemistry they had from the moment he had spoken to her.

Besides, she wouldn't be seeing him again would she? It was just a one time thing and besides, Stefan didn't know about it. Though they were technically broken up at that time, she had a feeling he would be upset if he was informed.

She shouldn't have to worry about him.

Elena walked hand in hand with her boyfriend towards her first history class of the week. They still had about twenty minutes before class started but Elena liked getting to her classes early—especially on the first day. Stefan didn't have the same class she did, but he decided to stick around for a few more minutes.

At first, Elena didn't notice the man sitting at the desk in front of the room. She walked to the front row of seats (still holding Stefan's hand) before setting her bag down and sitting down herself. That's when she noticed how Stefan had tensed up. She looked up at him, confused, and found that he was looking ahead. Following his gaze, Elena almost gasped to find those piercing blue eyes staring right back at her.

No, no, no, no. This couldn't be. He couldn't be her teacher. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She found herself getting lost in his shocked gaze. Even when he broke eye contact to look up at Stefan with a mix of anger, jealousy and something else… Pain? Regret? Then it was gone from his face in a second. Damon's expression went to calm, cool and collected. He looked away from them as if he had never seen either of them in his life before.

Elena knew she had to compose herself before Stefan realized something was up. She also needed to figure out why he was so tense at the sight of Damon. "Stefan? What's wrong?" She asked, tugging on his hand.

"Nothing." He said roughly. "I'll tell you later." He muttered before he bent over and gave her a kiss, making sure that Damon took a glance. "I have to get to class."

And then he left, leaving her confused as ever and just staring at Damon stupidly.

Damon too, had moved on after Elena had left. He decided it was all silly—the connection he felt with Elena. It may have just been the alcohol or the heat of the moment. It couldn't have been anything more, right? She obviously had felt that way since she left so suddenly. At first, Damon wasn't sure why he was so angry over this girl. He hadn't even known her for one whole day. There was no reason for him to feel this way. Not seeing her again helped convince himself that she really didn't matter. She was just another woman that he had screwed (and he ignored the voice at the back of his head screaming at him and trying to tell him that was not true). Besides, it would be better this way if she was a student. He had come up with a million reasons as to why it shouldn't bother him that he had almost convinced himself it was true.

He had gone back to his usual routine after her. They both moved on. They both were getting back into things. That is, until she walked into his classroom.

He was shocked and frustrated at his luck. Her being a student was possible, but what were the chances? And what were the chances that Stefan Donovan was her boyfriend? Stefan and Damon had a long history. It went back to when they were little. Their fathers were both big business owners and rather good friends. The two families often spent time together and Damon had grown to be like an older brother to Stefan. He helped the boy with homework, sports, girls—just about everything. That is, until Stefan got himself a girl. Katherine. Boy, she was something. Damon knew she was trouble from the start and warned Stefan that she would only hurt him. Of course, he refused to listen and said he loved her and that Damon only wanted Katherine for himself.

They stopped speaking to each other after one final fight where Stefan accused Damon of coming onto Katherine (the girl had convinced Stefan he had done that). And ever since then, not only had they stopped speaking to each other, they didn't even see each other. Damon had heard that the two had broken up. Katherine had only been using him for his money—just like Damon had warned him.

So he was with Elena now? For how long? Damon could tell they had been together for a good while with the way they walked and talked. There was a difference between a new couple and an old one. So had she cheated on Stefan with him? Did it really even matter? He shouldn't even care. But Damon did. He couldn't help but feel all those things he had been suppressing—those things that didn't come out because she wasn't around. He wanted her. He still wanted her more than ever.

He managed to stay focused through the class—pass out the syllabi to the students (stopping a little longer by Elena and letting his hand linger on her hand as he passed it to her). He _could_ resist her. They both could forget what had happened between them but Damon did want to get back at Stefan. Besides, he was interested in Elena so it was a win/win. During the rest of the class, Damon took every chance he got to send suggestive stares towards Elena. It seemed to be working to an extent. She always blushed and looked away—pretending it wasn't shot at her. Towards the end, however, she started glaring at him which only amused Damon further.

When class was over, Elena was the first to get up, intending on storming out of there and possibly switching out of the class.

"Miss Gilbert." She heard him call as soon as Elena had gathered her things. She had refused to make eye contact with him.

"Yes, professor?" She continued gathering her things, still not looking at him and trying to keep herself composed.

"Please stay behind, I would like to have a word." She could hear the smirk in his voice and bit her bottom lip.

Elena nodded, glancing up around the room and watched as the other students left.

When they were all gone, she looked up at Damon who was watching her intently—the amusement clear in his eyes.

Cautiously, Elena wandered over to his desk. "Yes, professor?" She repeated, tense, yet pretending that nothing had happened between them.

His smirk widened and he raised his brows suggestively. "Mmm, professor." He repeated. "Kinda kinky don't you think?"

Elena almost gasped. Her eyes widened and she looked up at him but she regretted it the moment their eyes met. God, they were so blue. Just like the night they had met, Elena found herself melting right there. He seemed to notice because he stood up and walked around his desk to stand in front of her, the smirk never disappearing.

Automatically, Elena took a step back.

She was being cautious and Damon could tell. He could also tell that she was confused. _Better change that. _

Before he could say anything, Elena spoke. "Look… Dam—Sir, I think it would, uh, be best if we forgot about what happened… you know last summer."

For a split second, anger could be seen in his eyes but it faded just as quickly as it had come. "I don't know if I can resist you, Elena." He whispered huskily, quickly moving forward and closing the space between them. He rested his hands on her waist and began to grind his hips against hers.

"No…" She whimpered. She was supposed to sound more sure of herself. She was supposed to sound more confident. Hell, she was supposed to push him away. But Christ, the way he moved against her, she let out a soft moan, subconsciously rocking her hips back.

He was getting closer and closer, their lips inches apart. That's when she yelped out, "Damon, no. I have a boyfriend." She moved away from him, looking down at her feet. It was more of a reminder to herself than to inform him. He should've seen though, shouldn't he? Stefan was here at the beginning of class and he would be here soon to pick her up.

When he didn't reply, Elena looked up at him to see that he only looked smug. "That isn't going to matter."

The nerve of the guy. Elena couldn't help but feel infuriated at him suggesting that she would cheat on him. She lifted her hand and slapped him across his cheek. "How dare you." She growled at him, her eyes narrowing.

So… This was definitely not the kind of start Damon had been expecting. She did show how easy it was to seduce her, though. He'd just have to try harder next time. A lot harder since it seemed like she was truly loyal to Stefan. "Just let me know when you get bored of Mister Donovan." Damon seemed unaffected by the slap and simply moved away to his desk and began to straiten out papers. "I can take you places he would never dream of taking you. And I think you already know that from last time." Damon winked at her.

Elena's hands balled into fists. "Don't count on it." She spat at him, intending on specifically asking Stefan how the two knew each other later.

With that, Elena stormed out of the classroom, bursting with anger leaving Damon chuckling.

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_**Please review! I would love to hear your ideas and what you would like to see. Believe it or not, I do change my plans based on what you guys want.**_


	3. Back To Me

**_Oh my gosh, thank you for all the reviews/alerts/favorites! I'm really glad you guys like it. I'll try to update this story more! In this chapter, you'll figure out exactly what happened in the past and Elena figures out an ongoing problem. Please review! Your input really helps!_**

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"Hello? Stefan?" Elena called her boyfriend a few days after the first class with Damon. She had tried to get the story on him and now her professor, but he had always waved it off. He told her he would tell her when the time was right and that it wasn't really that important anyway. Yet, the way he acted when Damon was even brought up was far too suspicious. He would tense up and anger could be seen quite clearly in his eyes and he would answer in short, choppy sentences. She wanted to know what happened but she wasn't going to push him too far.

"Elena?" He sounded genuinely surprised for some reason. He shouldn't have… She was just calling to ask him what time he would be picking her up for dinner.

"Yeah, it's me Stefan… Is.. Everything okay?" She asked, furrowing her brows together as she observed the surprise in his voice.

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine… How about you? What's up?" It sounded as if he was rushing the conversation.

"I was just calling because I wanted to ask you what time we're going to go out tonight." She answered, unsure of herself now.

There was a pause. "Stefan?" Elena whispered.

"Yeah! Sorry. Look… I don't think I can make it to dinner. How about we reschedule?"

Elena pursed her lips together. Her suspicions were growing. He was cheating on her again, wasn't he? At the same time, she felt guilty for assuming such a thing. She should be able to trust him. She was too angry to reply to that and just hung up.

On the other end of the line, Stefan blinked. "Elena?"

"Oh, forget about her." Katherine purred.

* * *

She would still go out tonight. Elena wanted to get out of her apartment. Maybe she could call up Caroline or Bonnie and ask them if they wanted to grab something to eat. But when she did contact her friends, she found them both busy. Determined to get out, Elena decided she would go out to eat on her own.

The Grill wasn't the restaurant that Stefan was supposed to take her to originally. It was more casual—a hang out area. She was upset and as much as she wanted to be alone, she knew that it would be better if she wasn't by herself. Being left alone to her own thoughts was very dangerous. It's why she really wanted to one of her best friends to come with her.

She made an effort to get ready—applying a little more than her usual light make up and a light green sundress instead of just jeans. It was as if she really was getting ready to go to a date. In all honestly, Elena was hoping to run into someone who could keep her mind off of Stefan. She needed someone who would cheer her up.

Clutching her bag tighter, she walked into The Grill, taking a look around before walking to a booth and taking a seat. She hadn't been there five minutes and someone had already showed up. At first, Elena was glad—she really didn't want to be alone—but when she noticed who it was, she decided she would rather be alone.

"Waiting for someone?" Damon asked arching a brow and letting a small casual smirk appear on his face.

"No." She should've just said yes. Maybe then he wouldn't have sat down across from her.

"Really? Then why are you so dressed up?" He continued, letting his eyes run shamelessly over her body before grinning in approval.

Elena could feel her heart skip a beat as he scanned her. "Why? I'm not allowed to look good because I feel like it?" She challenged, hoping her cheeks weren't as red as she thought they were.

"You always look good." Damon stated simply.

And now, Elena was sure that her blushing was clear. He seemed very amused.

"… What do you want?" She asked.

"Did you ask your boyfriend about how he knows me?" Damon had assumed it was the first thing she would have demanded of him. He also figured she would tell him everything that had happened and how Damon tried to make a move on her. Like Katherine. Except Elena would actually be telling the truth.

"I did." She nodded, running a hand through her hair and wincing at the thought of Stefan. He was cheating on her again, she was sure. Yet, Elena didn't want to jump to conclusions so she was almost successfully in convincing herself otherwise.

"…And?"

"And what Damon?" She asked warily.

"You're not pissed?"

"He never told me anything. Should I be pissed by your relationship with him?" Elena looked at him suspiciously.

Damon raised his brow. He didn't tell Elena anything? What was that about? "He didn't tell you anything?" He repeated.

"Nope. Nothing. Whenever I brought you up, he tensed up and said he would talk about it some other time." Elena said, trying to pretend like she didn't care.

Damon sat back and contemplated what Elena had just said. "Really, now?" He asked, deciding on being amused.

"Yes. Now will you please fuck off?" She glared at him.

"Ouch. You weren't so harsh when we first met." He grinned at her.

Elena glanced at him, shaking her head. When she had first met him, she had realized that he was a charmer; a lady's man. But he was sweet. Really sweet. "That's because you weren't asshole then." She gave him a tight smile.

"But don't you want to know how I know Stefan?" He decided to play that card, leaning in and settling his elbows on the table.

"No." The lie was very obvious. She paused and sighed. "Yes." Elena corrected, glancing down at the table.

Satisfied, Damon sat back and watched her for a few seconds before beginning. "My father and Stefan's father are close buddies. So Stef and I go _way _back. We saw a lot of each other and I have to say that I was really fond of the kid. A few years ago—I believe it was Stefan's last year in high school—he had been dating Katherine Pierce." He paused and looked at Elena. "I don't know if you guys have had that awkward exes' conversation yet." Damon smirked then continued. "The girl was nothing but trouble from the start and I warned him."

Oh no, this was about Katherine. They were friends and because of Katherine they now weren't. Well, at least now Elena knew she wasn't a pain in the ass to just her. "Stefan cheated on me over the summer with Katherine." Elena didn't look up at him as she spoke quietly.

"What?" He seemed surprised.

"I broke up with Stefan the day I bet you because he cheated on me with Katherine." She explained.

So that's why she had been at that club. That's why she had flirted shamelessly with him and told him she was single. That's why she had gone home with him. That's why she had sex with him. And all that led up to now—where he couldn't believe that she was back in his life. She had a huge effect on him from the moment that he had met her and eventually, he had decided it would be safer to keep someone like that out of his life. He didn't like having a weak spot.

Ever since she walked into that classroom, he couldn't get her out of his head.

"Ah." Damon said in acknowledgement. "Well, I suppose it adds up."

"What adds up?" She asked, arching a brow.

"May I take your order?" A waitress came around to their booth and looked between the two expectantly.

"I'll have a burger and some fries, please." Damon said smoothly.

Elena looked over at him sharply. "What are you doing?"

"I'm ordering food?" He answered innocently.

The waitress looked a bit confused, "And you, Miss?"

"I'll have the same. With pepsi, please." She said quickly before returning her glare to Damon.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He pondered.

Elena gritted her teeth together. God, he was so infuriating. "You know exactly what I mean."

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking, now would I?" It was clear that he was finding quite a lot of amusement in this banter. "Where was I? Oh, yes. Katherine was a bitch." He returned to the story. "She wanted Stefan for his money—or well, his father's money anyway, but you get the idea. But he fell in love with her. At least, that's what he claimed. I didn't doubt it either, with the way he was acting." Damon explained watching as Elena's pissed off expression faded into a more observant one.

"According to Stefan, they were going great. I kept warning him, of course, but he wouldn't listen. Then Katherine decided to make a move on me. Whenever we would somehow end up alone together, she would be on top of me, trying to take my freaking clothes off." Damon shuddered at the thought. "So I went to Stefan told him about it. But I think you can predict how he reacted."

"He didn't believe you, did he?" Elena breathed.

"Nope. He called me a liar." Damon sighed. "Then Katherine went tattling on _me_ for something I never did. Apparently, I was the one coming on to her." He rolled his eyes. "Long story short, after many little fights, Stefan told me he never wanted to see me again." Then he shrugged like it didn't matter.

"Wow." Elena said. "Katherine… Is… Wow."

"Yep. She's a little slut." Damon smiled.

Their food came and Damon had immediately started munching on his burger while Elena began to pick the pickles out of hers.

Damon furrowed his brows together and reached over to take them. "You don't like pickles? What's wrong with you?"

Elena rolled her eyes and took a bite of her burger when it was pickle-free. "So… Katherine's still in the picture?" She murmured.

"That's what it seems like… At least, from last summer anyway." Damon answered, popping a french fry into his mouth.

"Right." She nodded, not wanting to talk about how he had stood her up today out of no where.

It grew silent between the two until the waitress came with the check. Damon took out his wallet and started to take out his credit card.

"You don't have to pay…" Elena said glancing at him.

"It's fine." Damon assured her with a small shrug, handing the waitress his card and sitting back.

"Thank you." She decided.

He nodded in response. "You know, I ended up getting what I wanted."

"Excuse me?" Elena blinked.

"Well, it wasn't exactly what I had in mind," He smirked, "But I got a date with you."

She gasped. "This is not a date. This is you invading my privacy." Elena hissed at him.

"You think this is invading your privacy?" He asked arching his brow before getting up and moving to sit next to her. Elena furrowed her brows together and looked at him cautiously. "_This _is invading your privacy." His eyes were dark with lust as his hands went under the skirt of her dress and up her thighs.

Her breath stopped in her throat and she immediately tensed up. Holy shit. She shouldn't be getting turned on by this. She shouldn't be letting him touch her like this. Just as he brushed his fingers against her panties, she slapped his hand away. "Don't ever do that again, understand me?" She was starting to think that he really did go after Katherine. She should've waited for Stefan's side of the story.

"You love it." Damon said with a smirk.

"I'm starting to believe that maybe you did try to fuck Katherine." She said. "Now move."

Damon's eyes flashed with anger. "I am many things, Elena, but a liar I am not." He warned her, completely serious before moving away and letting her pass.

For a second, she felt intimidated. But honestly, she didn't know what to really believe. Without glancing back at him, she walked out of the restaurant.

* * *

**_Alright, so this was supposed to turn out a little sweeter than that but these two have a mind of their own._**


	4. All To Myself

_**So I only have time to update on the weekends so I decided to see if I could fit in another chapter today. Hope you guys like it! This chapter totally changed my plans and added another plot twist that I'm seriously looking forward to. I have my next two chapters planned out but that's subject to change. Please review!**_

* * *

When she got home, she was furious. She was furious Stefan. She was furious with Damon. And most of all she was furious with herself for developing more feelings for Damon and for being so naïve when it came to Stefan. She knew it in her gut that he was cheating on her but her heart wouldn't let her believe it. She kept making up excuses. She kept trying to rationalize. Three years. She had been with him for three years. Surely, that meant something to him more than his ex? Surely he wouldn't throw everything they had for her. Right?

Then there was Damon Salvatore. He was so goddamn sexy. But he was a douchebag. And she was ignoring the feelings that her gut (ahah, there it was again) kept yelling at her about. She couldn't have feelings for him. There were so many things wrong with that. First of all, she had a boyfriend. She couldn't have feelings for someone else when she had a boyfriend. Then, of course, he was a complete self-indulged asshole. And the last reason should be her top reason, but it wasn't. He was her teacher. Her professor. Elena knew that her university did not allow student/teacher relationships. She could be kicked out and he could lose his job. But for some reason, that was last on her list.

She needed to confront Stefan. (She needed to convince herself that he wasn't cheating on her.) But she wasn't sure if she wanted to talk to him right this second. She needed to calm down because if she did talk to him right away, she was sure she would jump to conclusions which would cause a huge fight. That wasn't what she wanted. She just wanted to have a civil conversation with him.

Elena decided to take a hot shower to relax her muscles and watch some TV. She had just started getting into the show 'Supernatural' when she heard her doorbell ring. Who could it be at this hour? She thought as she got off of her couch and walked to the door and opening it. "Stefan." She said in surprise. "I thought you were busy tonight…" Oh no, the suspicion was seeping into her voice.

"I was. But I got finished shortly." He explained with a small smile, leaning in to kiss her.

Elena moved back but she was just as surprised at her action as Stefan was. "What… Was it that you were doing exactly?" She asked, laughing nervously.

Stefan's eyes narrowed. "Don't worry about… It doesn't really matter. What's wrong?" He asked, walking into the apartment. "Did I come at a bad time…?" This really shouldn't be a problem. He would always come over uninvited and likewise. But they both could tell it was different this time—for both of them.

"What were you doing, Stefan?" She asked flatly. This was exactly what she had been avoiding. But she couldn't help let her anger and impatience break through.

"Elena, what are you implying?" He asked cautiously, furrowing his brows together.

"Who were you with?" She seethed, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Oh my god, Elena. Are you trying to say that you think I'm cheating on you?" He was angry.

"Well, could you blame me? You did it before." Elena hissed.

"Elena…" His anger faded and he reached forward but Elena only pushed him away.

"… Just go, Stefan. I want to be alone." She said quietly.

"Elena…" He repeated.

"Just go!" She yelled, eyes flashing with anger again.

* * *

When she walked into Damon's class the next day, she hadn't tried too hard to look good. She was barely wearing any make up and was in sweatpants and a hoodie. She had ignored Stefan's calls and avoided him when she had gotten to school. She really wasn't in the mood. She wasn't in the mood for Damon's bullshit either.

So when she walked in, she ignored his stares and sat as far back as she could. She hated that she saw a hint of concern on Damon's face. Not because he cared, but because it was gone before she could figure out whether she was hallucinating or not. The class went by rather quick, she found. The discussion was interesting and she found it was easier to keep her mind off of Stefan and relax.

When the class ended, she realized she shouldn't have sat in the very back because she would be the last one out of the room. Meaning Damon would be able to stop her without anyone seeing. She made a mental note not to make that mistake again. Just as she had predicted, he spoke to her right before she exited the room.

"What, no boyfriend today?" He asked, raising his brows.

The reminder of Stefan only made her angrier. "None of your business." She gritted at him.

"Oooh, touchy." He snickered, wandering over to the door and shutting it. What was he trying to do?

"I have to go, Damon." She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"No, you don't." He said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"I do." She protested, rolling her eyes. "What do you want from me, anyway?"

"Why do you keep asking that?" He said.

"Because you keep stalking me or stopping me after class."

"Well, maybe I thought you could use a little extra history lesson." A small, suggestive smile appeared on his face.

"No thanks." Elena snapped, moving towards the door only to have it blocked by Damon.

"I saw Katherine yesterday." He said more seriously now. "With Stefan."

She felt her breath stop in her throat. "W-What?" All her suspicions were confirmed. "What do you mean?"

"After you left the grill, they came in." He watched her reaction. "I'm sorry, Elena."

"I knew it!" She was laughing. Why the hell was she laughing? "I knew that bastard was cheating on me again."

Damon arched a brow, confused at her sudden outburst of laughter. "Are… You okay?"

"No." Elena said, her laughter dying slowly. "But I know that I will be." She murmured before flinging herself on to Damon, crashing her lips into his.

Damon was about to ask her what the hell she meant by that when she was suddenly clinging to him, her lips mashing into his. As surprised as he was, he knew exactly how to react.

He kissed her back fiercely. Their first night together had been amazing. It had been passionate and fiery and if you asked him, he would have told you it wasn't possible for it to get more intense between the two. But if you asked him after that kiss, he would tell you the exact opposite.

Elena's arms wrapped around his neck while his hands rested on her waist as they both pulled tighter against each other. His hands then began to go beneath the cloth of her hoodie, travelling up and cupping around her breasts.

Elena moaned into the kiss but looked very confused and a bit irritated when he pulled away. He chuckled at her expression and went to lock the door before eagerly going back into her arms. Damon kissed down her neck then, hearing her moan his name. Suddenly, he picked her up, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist before taking them to the desk in front of the room.

He quickly slid all the papers and books off of it and set her down in front of him.

Elena kissed him once again, beginning to tug on his pants.

* * *

She couldn't decide if she made the biggest mistake on Earth or the best one. She loved Stefan. Didn't she? She was with Stefan. But somehow, she wanted to get back at him for it. She wanted to show him what it felt like. Damon seemed like a very willing candidate so why not? And she was insanely attracted to him so it was definitely a win win.

"Oh my god, did we just do it in a lecture hall?" She breathed.

Damon chuckled. "We did… I think it's kinky, don't you?" He grinned.

She turned bright red. "This is like… out of some porn movie or something. Oh my god." She buried her face into his naked chest, enjoying his smell.

Damon grinned again, stroking her hair. "It's way better than a porno." He stated smugly.

"Right." Elena laughed.

"So why the sudden change of heart? I knew you couldn't resist my charms."

Elena rolled her eyes before thinking about how she would answer that. She should just tell him the truth. Maybe he would even help her get back at Stefan.

"… I wanted to get back at Stefan." She explained, looking up at him briefly.

Damon stopped himself from letting out a disappointed 'Oh.' But by the look on his face, you could tell he was hurt. But not for too long. Elena noted how he was good at hiding his emotions but decided not to comment on it. "So you're cheating on him with me?" He asked to clarify what she had said.

Elena nodded against his chest.

"I'm in."

* * *

**_I was originally supposed to write smut but I totally rushed this chapter. Sorry it's shorter than my other ones but I wanted to update before I left you guys hanging for another week. Also, I haven't written smut before so I was getting a little awkward when they started getting really intimate. I might attempt it some later chapter._**


	5. Stop Standing There

**_Sorry I didn't update over the weekend, exactly. But here it is! Next chapter will be huge, I promise. There will be more Delena since I know this chapter was kind of lacking. I'm so glad to have Caroline back to play- love her. And for the record, I'm not trying to make Stefan look like the bad guy. He's cheating and that's bad enough but Katherine's the reason why Stefan and Damon hate each other now. It's neither one of their faults. Speaking of with, the evil slut will be making an appearance in the next chapter as well._**

* * *

This was way too wrong. She felt guilty for wanting revenge on Stefan for cheating on her _twice _now (actually, she wouldn't be surprised if it were more than that). But she couldn't help feeling this way. It was the best way to cover up her feelings for Damon too. She couldn't be with him… Even if things with Stefan ended for good. Using him for sex and to cheat on her boyfriend with to get back at him seemed like an excellent cover up that she actually had feelings for the man. She felt incredibly dirty as well. Within the next few weeks she found whenever she was alone with Damon, their clothes would be off or were being ripped off.

She loved it, though.

She loved every second of the time they spent together no matter how lustful it was. It was a nice change from what she had was Stefan. With Stefan, she always felt so locked up—like she was holding back and with Damon she had let go. She was free with Damon. She loved their lustful stares during class—god, that eye thing he did was way too distracting. Although having sex on his desk was extremely kinky, they decided that they should continue their relationship _outside _of the classroom so it wouldn't get too suspicious. It was better not to keep stopping her after every single class, too. So instead, they would arrange to meet at his apartment or hers.

"Stefan should be asking you about a party soon… Your Aunt Jenna too." Damon brought up after one of their make out sessions on her couch.

"What? How do you know Jenna?" She blinked, furrowing her brow.

"Come on, the Sommers company is affiliated with the Salvatores—and Donovans—of course I know her." He rolled his eyes at her.

"Right…" She sighed in defeat. "So what about that party?"

"The Salvatores are having a party for all the corporations they are affiliated with—including the Donovans and Sommers. So even if Stefan doesn't invite you, your Aunt will." He explained.

"Oooh." She nodded. Elena wasn't sure how she felt about that. "And you're going to be there?" She asked, sounding a little too hopeful.

Damon grinned at her tone. "I have to be—I'm still next in line to take over even if I don't want it." He sighed dramatically. He could decline—he didn't care about how he bad he or his father looked. In fact, Damon would be more than happy to embarrass Giuseppe. But because Elena was going to be attending, he felt the need to be there as well. He didn't know why he was doing it—all he was signing up for was to see Elena in another man's arms. He really shouldn't feel this jealous. This was nothing. This was just casual sex. They would be done as soon as she got her revenge. (Although, he felt it would be difficult getting things back to 'normal'.)

"Why don't you want it?" She asked a little more seriously. Elena seemed genuinely curious—which shocked him. He had been so lost in thoughts he had to zap himself back to reality.

"Want what?" He asked.

"To be head of your father's business. Make a name for yourself. Be rich and famous." She smiled a little.

"Exactly. It's my _father's _business not mine. I'm not going to be making a name for myself—I'll just be carrying out his. I'll be following in his footsteps. Besides, I've been rich and famous for quite some time." There was the trademark smirk. "It's not really what I want." He shrugged.

Elena stared at him, astonished. She could honestly say in that moment that she admired Damon Salvatore. He was really _good_. And he was different. He was genuine. He was real.

"What?" He arched a brow. Why was she staring at him like that?

"What do you want then?" She asked with a small smile. This was her history professor but at the same time, she couldn't figure out what he would want. She already knew that he was a lady's man—a bit of a man whore too—but this was just from his demeanor. She had yet to see him with another woman just yet. She really hoped she wouldn't have to either—she wasn't sure she could handle being jealous with two different people.

"You." He grinned, suddenly pushing her down on the couch to hover over her. He began to kiss her neck. Elena could tell he just didn't want to answer and even though she wanted to know what was going on in his head, she decided not to press the matter. Besides, she loved it when he kissed her.

"Damon," Elena moaned.

Soon, it turned into a full make out session—their bodies intertwined, lips locked together. Then the doorbell rang.

"Fuck." She cursed, trying to push Damon off of her but he wouldn't have any of it. Instead, he cupped a hand around her breast and squeezed. She gasped. "Damon! Stop!" She hissed, giving him a sharp glare. He only snickered at her response and released her reluctantly, sitting back on the couch and letting her answer the door. He watched her backside appreciatively as she walked away.

"Stefan!" She said more loudly than she normally would have after seeing her boyfriend at the door. Inwardly, she was cursing every word known to mankind. "Hi." She didn't open the door all the way—hoping to give Damon enough time to run and hide. She then realized that she was in Damon's shirt, her hair was a mess, her lips swollen and she probably looked flushed. Shit.

"Elena…" He studied her appearance and furrowed his brow. "Is… Everything okay?"

"Just fine. I had a long night…" She really didn't know how she would explain the male shirt on her body but hopefully, he wouldn't ask. Technically, she wasn't lying.. She did have a long night. With Damon. And it definitely wasn't a bad night. She almost smiled at the thought but remembered that she was standing in front of Stefan.

"Well, aren't you going to let me in?" He asked, laughing.

"Oh! Right. Of course. Duh. Come in." She laughed nervously, opening the door a little further to let him in.

"I was just about to head into the shower too… So… What's up?" She asked as she slowly walked back to the living room. Much to her relief she found that Damon had vanished.

When she turned around she found Stefan grabbed her waist and pulled her into his embrace, giving her a rough kiss on the lips. Why did this feel so wrong? This was her boyfriend. She shouldn't be feeling the need to pull away and slap him. But she couldn't make him suspicious so she kissed him back, ignoring her gut feeling. "Shower, huh? Mind if I join you?" He smirked, pressing his forehead against hers, holding her close.

"No!" She said all too quickly. He looked a bit confused so Elena decided an explanation was needed. "Not.. Right now." She added a little more softly. "I.. Uh.. I have to get to work in an hour anyway." She explained with another small smile.

Stefan nodded, understanding before pulling away and sitting down on the couch that she and Damon were getting intimate on only minutes before. As she made her way over she noticed Damon pressed against the wall, crouching in the kitchen. Her eyes widened a bit as she looked over at him then sat in the side away from kitchen so Stefan would refrain from looking in that direction.

"Elena, I was wondering if you were free next week… There's a party that one of my dad's affiliates are holding and I really don't want to be stuck there alone." He made a face and she smiled. "It's the Salvatores, actually." He added a bit more stiffly.

"Oh?" Elena tried to act like this was all news to her. "I'd love to go with you, Stefan." She grinned, remembering that she would see Damon there. "Are you ready to tell me what happened with you and Da—Professor Salvatore?" She added softly, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

This would be good. It would be best to hear what he had to say when Damon was there.

Stefan looked unsure but he nodded. "Damon and I… He was like my older brother. Our fathers have been friends for as long as I can remember." He began. "Senior year of high school, he went after Katherine—my girlfriend at the time." _And the girl you cheated with on me and probably are still cheating with. _"She told me that he had come on to her multiple times… After telling me that she was no good for me."

She felt a flash of anger for Damon then and glanced over at him to see that he face was emotionless. "Oh. Wow." Elena breathed, trying to look as shocked as possible. "What an asshole." She added for effect. She really should believe Stefan—she had known him longer but she felt like she could trust Damon more. She believed Damon.

Stefan nodded grimly. "Just promise you'll stay away from him?" Elena almost laughed at that.

She just nodded and pulled Stefan in for a hug.

"I'll let you get ready then… And I'll call you later?" He smiled.

Elena nodded and mirrored his smile, getting up after him. "Bye Stefan." She returned his kiss and watched him leave. After closing the door, she leaned against the door and sighed in relief.

Damon came out from his hiding spot, his face still emotionless.

"Damon…" Elena stepped forward, reaching for his hand but he pulled back.

He felt infuriated, having not only to hear Stefan's side of the story but to watch them play girlfriend boyfriend. Why did he feel this jealous? This shouldn't be happening. "I gotta go." He murmured roughly, going to get his pants.

"Damon, wait!" Elena said worriedly, going after him. "Damon, I believe you. You know that." She didn't know why she wanted to defend herself. She didn't know why she wanted to make sure he wasn't mad at her.

"I know, Elena, I know." He said flatly. "Can I have my shirt back?"

She rolled her eyes and pulled it off before handing it to him. "Then what?"

"Nothing." He said stubbornly, putting his shirt on then going towards the door.

She caught his hand. "You're jealous… Aren't you?" She couldn't help but let a small smile appear on her face.

"Jealous?" He repeated ridiculously. "Why the hell would I be jealous? He's your boyfriend… I'm your… Sex friend… Teacher." Wow, that was fucked up.

"Damon…" Elena said.

"Elena…" He mocked.

"Don't shut me out." She protested.

"I'm not shutting anything out." He pulled his hand out of her grip and walked out of her apartment leaving Elena feeling very naked and empty.

* * *

The next week went by really slow. She and Damon didn't meet up at all… She figured he was still angry from what happened with Stefan. He wouldn't answer her calls or would keep it strictly professor/student when they did talk or if she stayed after class. It frustrated her and she had even showed up at his door but he refused to let her in.

She was dreading the party now because she was going with Stefan. That would definitely make things worse between her and Damon. But she had to go… It was an excuse to see him whether she would actually be with him or not at all.

She walked to her apartment and locked her door to find that Caroline was sitting casually on her couch. Elena jumped at her best friend's appearance.

"Care! How the… What are you? When did you…?" She stumbled to find the right words. Caroline Forbes had been away—studying at Columbia University. Elena found that at times like these, she especially missed her best friend.

The blond giggled at her response. "You gave me keys remember? For when I came back. And I thought I could surprise you. I have a few weeks off of school." She explained with a grin, getting up and going over to hug Elena.

She returned the hug and grinned too. "I am so glad to see you, Caroline. You don't know how much I need to catch you up." Bonnie was gone out of state as well and the only time they would see each other was over the summer. Elena felt so lucky to have Caroline here now.

Caroline gestured the couch, announcing, "Then get started, girl."

* * *

"So… You're sleeping with your hot history professor because Stefan's cheating on you again?" She looked very interested.

"I _was _sleeping with him until Stefan showed up last week and he had to watch us get all…. You know. And I don't know if he's cheating on me for sure… I haven't really caught him yet."

"Well, the signs look obvious. The dick probably is. And your history professor seems to be jealous." She smirked.

"I doubt it's that… He was probably pissed that Stefan could keep lying to everyone about what really happened…" Elena murmured.

"What are you doing about the party?" Caroline asked.

"What do you mean? I'm going… And yeah…"

"Well, first of all. We have to go dress shopping. Second of all, I'm talking to Jenna into letting me come because you need me there." Caroline instructed.

"What would I do without you, Care?" Elena smiled at her friend.

"Crash and burn." She replied cheerfully.

* * *

"How about this one?" Elena asked holding up a long, silky blood red dress. It was strapless but the neck line was pretty high.

"Ew! No way!" Caroline protested, scrunching her nose up before offering her a bright pink short one.

"That's a little too promiscuous for me, Caroline." Elena laughed, shaking her head.

"Alright, alright. Well, I have my dress picked out so it's just you now. Narrow it down to a few and try them on."

She tried the blood red one anyway but Caroline said it was definitely out. After trying a few more, they decided on long, silky green one. Its straps were sequenced beads that traveled along her back and then around her stomach/waist.

"Oh my god, that looks perfect on you." Caroline gasped, smiling happily.

* * *

"Elena?" Stefan called after Caroline had let him inside.

She came out of her room and smiled at him.

"Wow." He breathed.

* * *

**_If you want to see Elena's dress (I suck at descriptions), here it is: . _**

**_Please Review!_**


	6. Not Enough

**_Wow, this came a lot faster than I thought it would! Lucky you guys. Haha... I may not be able to update right away for the next few weeks. I have the ACTs tomorrow then three AP tests sprawled about so I'm taking those and all. If I get time, I'll try to update. Anyway, Katherine is in this chapter. I loved playing her. Also, Tyler makes an appearance- won't be the last. His appearance is hinting at Forwood on the side ;) But this is a Delena story! The only way we'll get stuff on Forwood is if Caroline tells Elena stuff. Enjoy! I really had fun writing this chapter._**

* * *

The place was huge. It wasn't the Salvatore residence, she was sure of that—but she also knew that it wasn't just some place they rented. This was definitely their 'home.' When she walked in, Stefan's arms around her, she automatically began to search for Damon. She didn't even realize she was doing it until Caroline showed up with Aunt Jenna and arched a brow as to why she looked so distracted. Elena cursed at herself silently then decided to focus more on what was going on immediately around her.

"Elena, you look absolutely gorgeous!" Jenna grinned, hugging her niece.

Elena smiled in thanks, "Thanks, Jenna. You don't look too bad yourself, there." The smile grew into a grin.

"You never come over anymore, Elena." Jenna complained, giving her a look.

"You know I've been really busy with school… And work…" _And Damon._

"You're going to make time." Jenna decided firmly, narrowing her eyes at Elena.

Elena laughed at her and nodded, "I will definitely make time. Promise."

"Good." She looked a little suspicious but seemed content for now.

Stefan then began to pull her along to greet people she had never seen before—nor did she care about ever getting to know, really. She just wanted to find Damon. Was he still going to even be there? She really hoped so. Otherwise, coming to this party was really a waste of time.

That's when she spotted him. At first glance, Elena's stomach leaped and she could feel a smile on her face but it didn't take her any longer than a split second to realize that there was a bodacious red head on his arm. The smile disappeared immediately and instead of feeling her stomach jump, it sank low. He was with someone else? _No. Hell no._ Elena felt anger course through her veins and she all but sprinted over to the pair and started to choke the woman that was clutching to him so possessively. But she had to control herself. Instead, she tensed up, taking a deep breath and tried to force herself to look somewhere else. It was hard to, though.

Damon looked good. Like _really _good. He had always stunned her with his looks—it was something that would never cease to amaze her no matter how many times she looked at him or no matter how long she stared at him for. And here Elena thought that _Stefan _looked good in a tux—boy, did Damon look delicious. The more aware she became of how attracted she was to him, the angrier she became at the woman at his side.

"Elena?" Hearing Stefan's voice zapped her back to reality and she quickly looked over at him, hoping none of her emotions were clear.

"Hmm?" She asked as calmly as she could.

"My dad's calling me over—I'll be back a in a few." He told her, pressing a kiss to her cheek before walking off. Elena nodded and when she looked back at Damon, she found the he, the woman with him, and another man were laughing and talking. God, she hated the way the red head was holding his arm. She wanted to walk over there and yank her hands off of her man. Whoa, whoa, whoa. _Her _man? Damon was sure as hell not her man. What the hell was going through her head? She seriously needed to get a better control of her emotions.

And then, their eyes locked. She hadn't expected Damon to look over at her, much less stare right back at her. _With those gorgeous blue eyes of his. _

Damon had noticed Elena walk in the moment she stepped into this house—it was not the main house but it was the one his father usually used to host parties like these. He didn't walk over there because… Well, that would just be awkward. He and Elena for one, weren't even on speaking terms at the moment. Even if they were, walking over there when she was in Stefan's arms was definitely not a good idea. So he had watched her from afar, doing his best to pay attention to his date, Scarlett as well. But that was proving to be rather difficult with the way Elena looked.

She looked stunning to put it simply. The dress she wore hugged her curves so perfectly and the color looked delicious her olive skin tone. He could just imagine how much fun he would have taking it off of her. Fuck, he could feel himself growing hard just thinking about it. Her hair was down like it usually was but it was curled—giving it more volume and a bounce to it when she walked or even turned her head. If only he could run his hand through her silky hair… his fingers knotting into it as he pulled her… _Stop. Stop right there._ He attempted to contain his thoughts.

That moment that they both stared at each other was rather intense. They both were challenging the other to look away yet undressing each other with their eyes. It was rather interesting.

"Oooh, is that him? The one you're eye-fucking?" Caroline vaguely recalled the man that had taken Elena home the night she and Bonnie had dragged Elena out.

Elena gasped, breaking eye contact with Damon to look at Caroline, blushing furiously. "Yes." She admitted. "_Stop looking at him, he'll notice." _Elena hissed at her friend who began to snicker.

"He's _really _hot, Elena." She announced as if Elena hadn't already known that.

Elena rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I know."

Caroline smirked and opened her mouth to say something but someone tapped her shoulder. A tall, dark haired guy was standing there with a small smirk on his face. "Are you Caroline Forbes?" He asked.

She glanced at Elena with a confused look before turning back to this man with a smile (noticing that he too, was pretty hot). "That's me." She admitted. "And you know me… How?" She asked furrowing her brows together.

"I'm Tyler… Tyler Lockwood. Our mothers used to go to high school together." He grinned.

"_Oh! _Lockwood! As in Carol?" Caroline seemed excited.

Tyler nodded. "I was wondering… Did you want to dance?"

Caroline glanced at Elena apologetically but Elena only gave her an encouraging look.

"I'd love to!" Caroline beamed, taking his arm and walking off, leaving Elena alone.

Once her friend had left, Elena sighed and walked over to the bar, ordering a martini. She had started to sip on her drink when she saw that Damon was walking her way.

"You know, we really need to stop meeting around bars." He said, doing that eye thing of his that sent waves through her stomach.

"I'll take what I can get." Elena said simply, not sure if she was still mad at him for ignoring her _and _showing up with a date. "Where's your date?" She asked ruefully.

"Are we jealous now?" He teased, sitting down beside her. He was a little too close but Elena didn't mind. Instead, she leaned in, inhaling the scent of his cologne.

"I'll admit it if you admit it." She said, taking another sip of her martini.

"Then I guess you're not." He rolled his eyes.

God damnit, why did they both have to be so stubborn?

"You look beautiful tonight." Damon told her after it got silent.

Many people had told her that this evening—Stefan included—but for some reason, when he told her, she was blushing like crazy. "Thanks." She could swear her heart was beating like a drum.

"But you'd look even better naked." He smirked.

Elena gasped, "Damon!" She said and she playfully smacked his arm.

He snickered, pretending to look hurt. "It's the truth!" He held his hands up.

Elena laughed. "You're going to have to try a little harder than that for it to actually happen," She told him with a wink.

Did she seriously not realize what effect she had on him? That flirty response was an invitation for him and he was certainly not one to decline. "Challenge accepted." He growled seductively at her, leaning in.

Elena nearly kissed him when she realized that they were in public. "Damon!" She hissed, quickly pulling back and blushing.

"Hey, you told me I would have to work for it and I'm willing to work for it." He winked.

She rolled his eyes at him. "Oh, so now all of the sudden you want to get in my pants again. Yesterday, I was nothing to you." Her tone got a bit serious now.

His eyes darkened. "Nothing to me? I beg to differ." He said stubbornly.

"Then what was that? All the ignoring?"

"I… Just wasn't in the best mood after the run in with Stefan." He admitted. This was his way of telling her that he was, in fact, jealous. If she was going to try and get anything else out of it, she was going to hit a dead end.

Elena nodded, content with finally getting an answer. "Right… So you decided to go get yourself a new fuckbuddy." She could feel her temper rise again. Elena finished up her drink and started to get up. That was all she was to him anyway. Just another woman he had sex with.

This woman was hot then cold. There was never neutral for her was there? Damon was confused at how she went to flirty to wanting to get away from him. "Hey." Damon caught her arm and jerked her towards him. "She's just a distraction." They all were.

"What does that even mean?" Elena furrowed her brows together. "Is that what I am too?" She pulled out of his grip and stomped off.

Great. Just great.

* * *

"Elena? Have you seen Stefan? I want him to meet someone…" Stefan's father approached her with the question.

Elena furrowed her eyebrows together. "He isn't with you? He told me you were calling him and went off."

He shook his head. "I'm going to go look for him—if you find him, let him know that he needs to come find me."

Elena nodded at her and began a search of her own. This house was fairly big but everyone seemed to be mainly gathered on the main floor. She searched the floor but found no hint of her boyfriend so she decided to go upstairs. There weren't many people upstairs but there were a few—people who wanted private conversations or if they were a couple that just needed privacy.

"Stefan?" She called. "Stefan… Your dad's looking for y— Oh my god!" She had wandered further into the halls and found that Stefan had another woman pressed against the wall. His hands were _all _over her and his lips seemed like they were glued to her skin. _Katherine. _Elena felt sick. She needed to get out of there. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes already. In a way, she had already been sure that he was cheating on her again but seeing it like this _a second time _was horrible.

She immediately turned around and began to storm down the steps, the tears streaming down her cheeks, ignoring Stefan's calls.

She didn't care where she was going. She just needed some air. She reached was almost at the patio. Almost there. No one had stopped her so far. Then guess what? She ran right into Damon.

"Elena?" He was surprised and when he noticed the tears on her face, the surprise faded into concern and worry.

She began to brush passed him but he caught her hand. "Elena, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Let me go!" She cried, snatching her hand back as if his burned and she ran outside.

Damon almost followed her out but decided she would not be giving him answers right away. He looked in the direction that she was coming in to see an exasperated Stefan run down the stairs—his hair a mess, tie loosened, half of his shirt was pulled out of his pants while the other was tucked in. And right behind him came a Katherine Pierce—a full smirk on her face. Shit. Damon should've known.

Before he could stop himself, he marched up to Stefan and punched him. "What the fuck Damon?"

Katherine still seemed rather pleased that she was the cause of all this never ending drama.

"Me? You're the dick here. Cheating on Elena _twice _with the same bitch?" He growled.

At least Stefan had the decency to look guilty—but only for a second. "How are you and Elena so close? Trying to make a move on another one of my girlfriends?"

A lot of people had stopped their conversing to watch the ordeal happen before them.

"Well maybe if you kept her happy, she wouldn't have to come to me." Damon sneered.

"Oh, that's it." Stefan muttered and swung his fist at Damon's jaw but Damon caught his hand in mid-swing and kneed him in the stomach. "Don't ever try that again." He told him lowly before walking away. He didn't want his father and Stefan's dad to see what happened—he really didn't want to have to deal with that for the next few million years.

* * *

"You got sexier." A sickeningly familiar voice called and Damon could feel hands run across the back of his shoulders.

"Katherine." His voice was very monotone.

Damon had gone to the bar after the mini fight he had with Stefan and apparently, Katherine decided to pay him a visit. "Don't you think you've caused enough damage?" One more wrong move on her part and she would definitely be kicked out.

"Not nearly enough." She purred innocently. "I see you got close with Elena. Mmm… I would love for you to show me just how close."

"And I could show you… So much…" He whispered as she shuffled closer and closer, now standing between his legs, their lips inches apart.

"Then show me." She breathed, her hands resting on his shoulder.

"But you're a bitch." He shrugged with a smirk, pushing her back to her own seat.

She blinked, shocked. "I don't understand how you give Elena the time of day and not Katherine."

"Because Elena is not Katherine." He grinned, finishing his drink up then leaving her sitting there.

* * *

"Elena?" Damon found her at an empty corner of the large patio, hugging herself.

"Damon." Her tears had dried away but she still had a look of betrayal on her face. Before he could do anything, she ran into his arms—wanting his comfort.

Damon wrapped his arms around her tightly, kissing her head. He realized that she was crying again. "Shh, it's okay." He whispered.

"I can't believe I was so stupid." She sobbed into his jacket.

"It's not your fault." He said, stroking her hair. "It's going to be okay.. I'm right here."

And somehow, those words comforted her.

* * *

**_And there you have it! Please review! Your reviews motivate me to write._**


	7. Smile

**_This was a hard chapter for me to write. I just didn't know what to do with it. It's really short, I know. I promise it will get longer again. So... Here it is! It's kind of a filler. But I need to figure out what to do with the story now. Please leave any suggestions that you have. Wish me luck with my exams! I have one tomorrow. _**

* * *

She really shouldn't feel this bad about finding out that Stefan was cheating on her. She had gotten with Damon during their relationship many times. In fact, Elena had told Stefan off at times so she could spend her time with Damon instead. And there was no point in feeling guilty either—he had cheated on her first (way before her, to be fair). She didn't know why she agreed to get back together with him… It was a failed relationship. She tried to figure out why it was bothering her so much then. If it wasn't _him_ then what was it?

Maybe it was because every serious relationship she had ended on a bad note—especially when she hadn't really dated many people. Although Elena was considered a 'Queen Bee' during high school, she wasn't the type of girl that went on many dates. From tenth grade up until her senior year of high school, she dated Matt Donovan—Stefan's cousin (it was actually through Matt that Elena met Stefan). Matt hadn't cheated on her but he had straight up told her that she wasn't the one for him. Then later, she found out that Matt was actually gay. Who knew.

This was the first time she had an open relationship with anyone. Was it even considered a relationship at all? It was just a fling. Just a fling? Then why were his arms around her—not trying to feel her up or because they were having sex, but because he was comforting her? This was way too confusing. She didn't know what to think… She couldn't think right now. She just… She needed to get away. She wanted to go home.

"I… I want to go home." She whispered, still clutching at him. She had come with Stefan so if she wanted to go home, she would have to wait for Jenna to take her—unless Damon drove her back. But she would feel bad asking him to. It was his party.

"I'll drive you home." He assured her, giving her hand a small squeeze and then releasing her from his grip. "Meet me outside… I don't think we can really be seen going together." He murmured. She was still her student and Damon was not ready to give his job up.

And just like that, he walked away. She was alone again and she craved his touch. So she decided she wanted to get out of here right away. Elena guessed that he would excuse himself first, so her getting out now would be best. She wiped away her tears and walked out of the house to find that Damon was already waiting inside his car. She glanced around to make sure no one else was around before getting into the passenger's side.

"Thank you…" She murmured.

"No problem." He didn't look at her—only started to drive away. "So your apartment?"

"No… I, uh, can I stay at your place tonight? Caroline's staying over… And I don't want to face her right now." Elena admitted, glancing over at him then looking down at her lap. To be honest, she didn't want to face anyone. But she felt so comfortable with Damon it didn't matter. Not with him.

"Sure." He nodded and turned towards his apartment. Damn it. It was going to be way too hard to keep his hands off of her if she was going to be under the same roof as him. What did this even mean for them? She was only sleeping with him because she wanted to get back at Stefan and now that they were over… Was she done with him too? That would be best. For both of them. But Damon didn't want that and he felt pathetic for feeling this way.

"Thanks." It was getting awkward in the car now. They both were thinking the same thing but they had no idea how to bring it up or resolve it. Elena didn't even want to bring it up right now. She already had enough to deal with—any more and she was sure her head would explode.

The ringing of her cell phone caused her to jump. "Hello?" She answered.

"_Elena, where are you?" _It was Jenna's voice. Elena hadn't bothered to check the caller ID—though she should have in case it was Stefan.

"Jenna… I got a ride… And I was heading back home… I'll explain later. I just didn't feel well." She explained.

"_Alright… Just take care of yourself. Call me tomorrow, okay?" _

"Okay. I will." She promised.

Suddenly there was someone else on the phone. _"Elena? Where are you? Let me explain." _

"Fuck off Stefan. I don't ever want to see your face again." She hissed then hung up before he could say anything else. There was no way in hell she was ever going to give him another chance.

She then quickly texted Caroline to back her up with Jenna.

_Staying with Damon. I'll explain tomorrow. Don't tell Jenna._

"You okay?" He asked. He was happy with the way she had told Stefan off.

"Eventually. It felt good to yell at him though." She admitted with a small smile.

* * *

They got inside his apartment and Elena felt completely at home. They had shared many memories there—like the first time she had met him. So many times they had made love in this room… On this couch… But it was different tonight. It was different because that's not why they were here.

"I'll… Uh… I'll sleep on the couch. You can take the bed." Damon told her, loosening his tie. "And you can take whatever shirt I have lying around if you want to get out of that dress." He added.

Elena nodded meekly and went into his room. She had forgotten that Damon actually needed to get changed and hadn't expected him to show up in the room as she was trying to unzip her dress.

"Sorry. I should've knocked." He said, starting to leave.

"Wait… It's not like you haven't seen me naked before…" She said with a wry smile, giving the okay to crack jokes.

"True." He smirked, stopping to turn around.

"Can you… Help me with the zipper? I think it's stuck." She asked.

Damon nodded, internally groaning. Was she deliberately making this difficult? All he could think about while unzipping her dress was taking it off her slowly… Kissing every inch of her skin…

"Thanks." She said, turning around, the strap of her dress falling passed her shoulder. Then she made the mistake of looking down… And finding him very hard. Elena gulped and looked back up at him.

Suddenly, their lips meshed together passionately. Damon's arms wrapped around her, picking her up and taking her to the bed as her arms wrapped around his neck.

This should be too soon… But Elena didn't know how to stop it. She was addicted to this incredibly sexy man.


	8. Addicted

**_Wow, I can't believe how fast I came up with an idea and wrote it out. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and everyone who gave me their input. I actually had this idea in the middle of my AP Pyschology test xD It was weird. But I'm fairly pleased with the outcome. _**

**_StarfishOnTheBeach - I didn't use your idea completely but it definitely influenced this chapter. And I will probably use the idea with Elena trying to make Damon jealous. _**

**_You guys should expect more fighting between these two!_**

* * *

She couldn't believe that she had fallen into the same pattern with him. Neither of them could afford to be sleeping together again but here she was, in his bed with his arms wrapped around her. She felt so warm, safe, and secure. This felt more right than it ever did with Stefan. She was at home in his arms and she never wanted to leave. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and she saw that not only were their arms wrapped around each other but the sheets were tangled with their intertwined legs. She could feel the blush on her cheeks as she became more and more aware how close and pressed together they were.

Elena lifted a hand off of him and began to stroke his cheek before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. It didn't take very long for him to wake up and once he did, he returned the kiss but with passion and fire instead of chastity like she had started it. Before she knew it, he was on top of her, their kiss deepening with every second that ticked by.

"Mmm, good morning." She giggled, breaking the kiss to gaze up at him.

"Hey there." Damon winked in response. "Want breakfast?" He asked, sitting up in the bed and pulling her up with him.

"I would love breakfast." She smiled, kissing his cheek.

"Great." He grinned, getting off of the bed and pulling his boxers on before heading out of the room.

Elena contemplated staying in the bed—she knew he wouldn't mind bringing it to her but she felt a bit spoiled. Besides, she wanted to talk to Damon. They needed to figure out what the hell was going on between them. They couldn't go on without deciding on that—hell she didn't even know _what _they were anymore. Were they still just fuck buddies?

She got up as well, picking up one of his T shirts and putting it on. She pulled the ends of the cloth down so they reached her thighs. Not that there was really a reason to be modest after everything that they had done together. Elena blushed at the thought before wandering after him.

"What are you making?" She couldn't help but wrap her arms around his naked torso. He seemed to be rather pleased at that and turned around in her arms, wrapping his own around her. "Why don't you just watch me?" He suggested with a smirk.

"Don't have to ask me twice." Elena winked at him with a smirk of her own and pulled away. She didn't know how to bring up the topic of them despite knowing that it was an important topic. To be honest, she didn't want to ruin the moment. Though she had had many romantic moments with Stefan, this was indescribable. It was completely different from what she and Stefan ever did.

After a few minutes of talking, they had somehow ended up on the topic of embarrassing or awkward situations. "You are not going to be able to beat mine!" Elena promised, laughing.

"We'll see. You have to actually tell me first, Elena." He snickered.

She rolled her eyes and playfully shoved him as she flipped over an egg. During their conversation, she had ended up helping him a bit. "A few years ago—when I was still living with Jenna—I had a little run in with someone at night…" She began. "It was very stormy—one of those nights out of a horror film. And I heard someone in the halls and I was scared shitless. So I sneak into Jeremy's room—it was connected to mine through a bathroom—and I took his baseball bat." She could see the smirk forming on Damon's face. "I went out into the hall, ready to swing when I saw that Jenna and her _boyfriend, _Alaric, were naked and _on top of each other_." She laughed. "I was horrified."

Damon chuckled, shaking his head. "Jesus, Elena, do you chase everything that scares you with a baseball bat?" He asked, pretending to look a bit scared himself.

Elena rolled her eyes again.

"That _was _pretty embarrassing. But mine's worse." He challenged smugly.

Elena shook her head. "Pshh. I doubt it."

"Listen to it first." Damon held up one finger before starting his story. "I was about seven or eight years old when I walked into my parent's bedroom. Like your story, it was a stormy night—especially for a kid who was having nightmares. And what do little children do when they have nightmares?"

"Oh, no!" Elena began to form the story in her own head.

"Yup. So I walk in there, hearing my mom scream my dad's name, panting, moaning." He described, looking a bit wary, "And I _see_ what they're doing. And the worst part is—they didn't even realize I was ever there." He admitted.

"Oh my god!" Elena gasped, staring at him for a moment before breaking out into laughter.

Damon joined her, "And guess what else? That was about a year before Lexi was born… That awkward moment where you witness your own little sister's conception." Although he was laughing, there was a hint of pain in Damon's eyes.

Elena's laughter died down at a mention of a little sister. "You have a sister?" She asked curiously. "I didn't see her at the party…" Or ever hear of her.

"I did…" He said stiffly. "She died." Damon admitted, looking away.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Elena told him sincerely, reaching forward and squeezing his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked softly.

He shook his head, still tense. "Not really."

Elena nodded, understanding and just as she was about to change the subject the doorbell rang.

"Can you get that?" Damon asked. "I'm almost done with this." He said.

"Sure." Elena hopped off the counter and headed to door, opening it.

Saved by the bell.

Or was she really?

There standing before her was the blue eyed, blonde slut that was all over Stefan just the night before. What the hell was she doing here? Damon… Couldn't have lied right? They didn't have anything going on right? "Katherine?" She hissed. "What are you doing here?"

Katherine seemed to look surprised at first but then she just looked plain amused. "I could ask you the same thing, dear Elena. But I can't say that I didn't expect this." She looked at her up and down with a smirk.

Horror then set in as Elena realized that she was wearing nothing but Damon's shirt. Before Elena could even come up with what to say next, Damon appeared behind her. "Who is—Katherine. What the fuck are you doing here?" If he realized that their secret was out, he wasn't showing it. He didn't look ashamed or embarrassed the way Elena did.

"I knew I could find Elena here." She chirped happily. "And looks like you two were very busy yourself last night." She smirked, crossing her arms across her chest. "What I don't get, Elena, is how you can blame him for cheating when quite clearly, you have been doing it for quite some time." She looked very smug.

"What do you want?" Elena found that her voice was steady and strong despite the whirlwind of emotions she was feeling inside.

"Oh, nothing. I got what I came here for." She said, turning around and leaving.

Damon closed the door and the two stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Damon… No one can know… She knows." Elena whispered.

"To be fair… She _and _Stefan suspected it… Now she knows for a fact." Damon answered.

"What?" She looked back up at him in alarm.

"I… Kind of punched Stefan and kneed him in the stomach yesterday and told Katherine off when she tried to come on to me." He admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh my god! You did what? She… Why did she?" She couldn't help but let the jealousy creep into her tone.

He smirked a bit, picking out the jealousy but decided not to say anything about it. "Stefan hurt you… And he was pissing me off." Damon shrugged as if it was no big deal.

Elena sighed in frustration, running a hand through her hair. "You've got to be kidding me! You could lose your job now! I could get kicked out of school! My last year too." She exclaimed, beginning to freak out.

"Elena." He said in an attempt to calm her down. When she kept babbling on, he said a little louder and took hold of her arms, "Elena!"

"What?" She asked, looking completely hopeless.

"She's not going to tell the school." Damon assured him. "This is what she wants. For us to worry about her next move. The only thing she'll do is torment Stefan with what she got." He assured her.

Elena looked unconvinced.

"Trust me. I know how the bitch works. And we both know that Stefan's not going to tattle either. He probably feels too guilty to. He's not a bad guy, Elena. We both know that too." Damon explained more.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess… But I still don't like it." She told him.

"Neither do I." He nodded. "But there isn't much we can do about it." Damon murmured.

She stared at him for a few seconds silently. "Yes, we can."

"What?" He blinked, furrowing his brows together.

"Damon… What are we doing? What is this? What's going on between us?" She asked but before he could reply, she went on. "This… We shouldn't be doing this. Not with the risk of ruining both of our careers." Her tone became softer.

Damon could feel the color drain from his face. She was leaving him. Again.

"I'm sorry, Damon…" She moved away from him, heading to his bedroom to change back into her clothes and grab her purse. "I can't do this." She had ignored him silently standing in the middle of the room after he stopped midway of following her to his room.

"Elena… This is the second time you're going to be walking out of here like that." He was stubborn. He couldn't let her go now… Even if she was right.

"It has to be this way, Damon." She stopped, turning around and looking at him exasperatedly.

He wasn't about to beg. He was not going to beg. Damon wasn't going to let this woman control his life. "Fine." He spat, anger flashing through him. "Leave, then."

"Damon…" She seemed concerned. Good.

"I said go!" He hissed harshly.

She looked hurt. But before he could feel guilty about his tone, she was gone.

* * *

She had lost them both. How could she be so stupid? She couldn't even manage to keep one of them.

"H-hello? Caroline? Can you come pick me up?" She called her best friend, trying to stay composed on the phone.

But the moment she sat inside the car and looked at her concerned friend's face, the tears broke free.

"Elena! What happened?" She didn't start driving. Instead, Caroline turned in her seat and took Elena's hands.

"I fucked up, Car. I fucked up big time." She admitted softly.

"Tell me what happened. What happened last night and what just happened now."

"Last night… I found Stefan with Katherine _again._" She told her. "And Damon… He stood up for me."

"I know.. I saw him beat Stefan up." Despite the serious situation, Caroline smirked a little at the memory.

"He was so good to me, Caroline. And I asked him to bring me here… And when we got here… Oh, Car, it was so hard. It was hard not to give in… So we did." She admitted sheepishly.

"So you slept with him again?" She asked in an attempt to clear it up.

Elena nodded, glancing down at her lap. "And this morning… Everything was great. It was perfect. We were actually bonding again. It wasn't just sex. God, he's so amazing." She whispered.

Caroline nodded, ushering her to go on.

"But then Katherine showed up… And now she knows. And Stefan probably does too. So I left him. I think I really hurt him, Caroline. Again." The tears began once more.

"Shhh." Caroline whispered, leaning forward and hugging Elena. "It'll be okay… Stefan's not going to tell anyone. The most he'll do is confront you."

"I know… I just…"

"Let's get you home. We can talk there if you still want to. But I think you just need a break from all this. How about a girls' night out soon? Until then, just focus on school and work."

Elena nodded. But she knew there was one class she did not want to attend.


	9. My Heart

**_Damon and Elena were actually supposed to fight in this chapter but then this happened... Enjoy!_**

* * *

The next day in class was filled with tension. It was soaking the lecture hall and suffocating Elena as she sat in her seat and avoided looking at Damon at all. What she didn't realize was that he was successfully pretending that she wasn't even there. Or at least, that's what it looked like. There were no flirty glances exchanged, no suggestive stares, no smirks or winks (from Elena). It had to be the longest class ever. Elena felt as if it was dragging on forever.

But she did feel bad with how she left. And as the class period went on, she decided to steal a few glances at him. It was as if he didn't even know she was there. It felt odd seeing him like this when she was so used to his gorgeous blue eyes on her every now and then. When the discussions started up again, Elena decided she would participate.

"Russia's Imperialism sent what kind of message to the rest of the world exactly?" He called casually, his eyes flickering around the room but avoiding Elena.

Elena raised her hand, "Well, to America they were basically holding up a flashing sign claiming war—that's how United States interpreted it—and the other countries—especially after Vietnam—were pretty terrified about communism spreading to them. They didn't want what happened to Vietnam happen to them."

Damon finally looked over at Elena, his face emotionless. "Yes, but do you think it would have gone through differently if America interpreted it differently?"

"Yes. If America didn't see it as a threat, then there probably wouldn't be any issue." Elena answered, finding out just how much she had craved conversation with him—even if it was just this.

"So are you saying there would have been no Cold War if America didn't see it as a threat?" Damon asked.

"Yes. Most likely. Since the primary contributors in the Cold War were Russia and United States, there probably would have been no war." Elena nodded.

"Well, that's where I think you're wrong." Why did she feel like he was trying to pick a fight with her? "Russia was expanding communism—there had to be some sort of resistance. There may not have been the same types of wars, but war is inevitable." He concluded before moving on to the next part of the lesson, leaving Elena a bit embarrassed with the way he had answered her.

When the class ended, Elena was the first one out the door.

* * *

She had to get him out of her head. She had to forget about him. But that was increasingly difficult as she _had _to see him a few times every week. She decided she would take Caroline up on her offer for a girls' night out. It sounded fun and she really needed a distraction.

"Care? Wanna go out tonight?" She called her best friend while inside the locker room of a gym.

"_Finally! Of course I do. I was waiting to see when you were ready." _She scoffed and Elena could almost see her rolling her blue eyes.

Elena laughed, "Great. I'll be home in a few hours. I'm going to work out." She told her.

She and Stefan would always come to this gym to work out when they were together. She remembered all those times they would talk and laugh while exercising. This time, however, she was alone and listening to her music while on the treadmill. Her hair was up in a high ponytail. She was wearing a black sports bra and matching shorts with gym shoes.

It was quite a surprise when she found that Stefan walked over to her and began to use the treadmill beside her. "Hi." He said.

"I don't want to talk to you, Stefan." She debated moving away from the treadmills.

"I know you don't… But I just wanted to clear things up with you." He continued anyway.

Elena looked at him warily. "What is it?"

"Katherine told me. About you and Damon." He told her quietly.

"I figured." Elena laughed harshly.

"So it's true?" He asked.

"Yes." She had nothing to say to him. She owed him nothing.

"How long…?"

"After you started standing me up… I suspected you were cheating on me again… So I started sleeping with him. To get back at you."

"Oh? So you aren't with him? Or even sleeping with him now?" Stefan asked.

Elena shook her head. "You know very well I'm not _with _him and why. And no. I was only using him to get back at you. If you were allowed to sleep with someone else, why not me?"

Stefan rolled his eyes but looked a bit thoughtful after that. "I see… Damon seemed a bit more attached than one should be to a fling. That's why I was wondering."

"What?" Now he had her attention.

"He really cares about you, Elena." Stefan shrugged. "And I don't know your feelings on him… But I know he protected you when I was an ass—sorry for that by the way."

"Whatever."

"Take care, Elena." He said before leaving her with her thoughts.

Damon cared about her? She knew that he had punched Stefan and kneed him but she didn't realize that he had actually said anything. She was appalled and she was confused as to what she would do now. She didn't know if she could actually go back to Damon… She couldn't.

* * *

"Wear this!" Caroline threw a dress at her from her suitcase.

Elena groaned. "Come on. This is like picking out the dress for the Salvatore party…" She didn't want to start thinking about that night but it really was. Caroline was picking out a dress for her—one that didn't fit her personality at all. It wasn't like it didn't look good on her. Man, she looked good even if she said so herself. But it just wasn't her.

"Just wear it! You look so hot." She whined after Elena came out of the closet with the dress on for a preview.

Elena stood in front of the mirror and sighed heavily at her reflection. There was no doubt that she looked gorgeous. This outfit was far more revealing than anything she would have ever worn. The blood red cloth was rather thin and it clung to her skin, accentuating her curves. "I… Don't know, Care. I don't even know who I'm looking at in the mirror right now."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Well maybe that's a good thing. Forget about your troubles for one night and be someone else."

"Caroline…" She warned. "That last time you and Bonnie did this…" _I met Damon._

"Come on!" She chimed, "I'll curl your hair if you curl mine." She said taking her best friend's hand and pulling her over to the dressing table. She pulled up two seats and brought her curler as well as Elena's.

"This is about Damon, isn't it?" She asked when they had started on each other's hair.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked.

"I mean… You being so reluctant to go. It's about him."

"No! That's ridiculous." Elena cried, burning her finger and hissing as she put the finger into her mouth and sucked.

"Right." Caroline smirked. "Whenever you want to talk about it, Elena." She rolled her eyes.

It got quiet for a little while and then Elena finally spoke. "So what about you, what happened with Tyler that night?" She laughed and winked.

Caroline turned red at the mention of the Lockwood. "I… Uh… I really like him, Elena." She admitted with a shy smile.

Elena grinned widely. "That's so great, Caroline! I'm so happy for you."

She nodded, getting excited. "He actually indirectly asked me out. I was supposed to tell you this earlier but…"

"Tonight isn't really a girl's night, is it?" Elena said, understanding.

"Not.. Exactly… You see… Tyler has a brother.. Mason. And he thought we could all you know—"

Elena cut her off. "Caroline! A double-date? Come on!" She put down the curling iron to glare at her. "You didn't even ask me!"

"I know! I'm sorry! You were just moping around about Damon and Stefan so I didn't know when to bring it up." She admitted, looking awfully guilty.

"Caroline…" Elena said hesitantly. Was she really moping around, though?

"Please, please, please, Elena!" She started begging. "I really need you to come with me. And you don't even have to see Mason ever again just come with me!"

Elena sat there and stared at her, trying to decide before finally giving in. "Fine. But you owe me. Big time."

"Yay! Thank you so much, Elena. Have I told you how much I love you?" She grinned.

"Not enough times to get me through this night." She groaned.

* * *

"Caroline! I'm glad you're here." Tyler gave her a hug before giving Elena a smile. "Hey, Elena."

"Hi." She responded and hoped her smile looked real enough. She then noticed another man walking after Tyler. He looked a little bit older and had blue eyes (not as blue as Damon's, though). He was more muscular as well. He was extremely attractive just like his brother but Elena couldn't find herself attracted to him.

"You must be Elena." He grinned at her.

"Yes, I am." She answered.

"I'm Mason. Nice to meet you." His eyes were all over her and Elena couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.

"You too." She forced out, looking over at Caroline to see her already indulged in a conversation with Tyler.

They made their way over to a table for four. The restaurant they were at was rather fancy—with the money she was sure the Lockwoods had that didn't come as a surprise. Indirectly asked her out? Yeah, right, Caroline.

And unfortunately for Elena, they also had dancing. As soon as they were finished eating Caroline and Tyler had disappeared onto the dance floor leaving Mason and Elena alone. He had tried multiple times to strike up conversation but she had always shot him down with short answers no questions of her own. When she was awkwardly glancing around the room she saw someone familiar. Damon. What were the fucking chances?

And of course he was there with a woman. A different woman from at the party, she might add. This one didn't seem as bad as the last one though which only made it worse. The brunette he was currently dancing with was tall and looked like the independent type—someone who would never fall for Damon. But there they were, dancing, laughing and kissing.

Elena felt like she was going to be sick.

"Elena?" She heard Mason say. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She answered stiffly, hoping to hide her bursting emotions. "Let's dance."

Mason looked like he had finally gotten what he wanted. "Sure." He grinned, getting up and holding his arm out.

Elena took his hand and as Mason began to lead them onto the dance floor, Elena took charge instead. She took them towards where Damon and his woman were dancing.

Mason looked surprised at first but shrugged it off as soon as Elena's hands were on him. They were dancing dangerously close but Elena wasn't watching him—she was looking at Damon. Mason, however, looked like he was enjoying it. At least one of them was.

When Damon caught sight of Elena in Mason Lockwood's arms he thought he would explode of anger. Not only was he jealous, but Mason was no good. He knew that because him and Mason used to be in the same social group. The guy was like him. But he knew that Mason didn't feel any extra emotions towards Elena besides the sex.

He had to keep an eye on them. He didn't want Elena to get hurt. Damon dipped his date, Andi, and when he brought her back up, Elena and Mason were gone.

Fuck.

* * *

"What are we doing out here?" Elena asked Mason, confused when he took them outside of the restaurant.

Instead of answering her, Mason launched himself onto her, crushing his lips into hers.

What the actual fuck. Elena gasped and began to shove him back but she was too weak. Suddenly, his hands were all over, groping her, going under the skirt of her dress.

"No!" She cried. "Let me go! Help!" She screamed but he covered her mouth.

Tears were streaming down her cheeks but she couldn't do anything no matter how hard she struggled.

Then out of no where, a figure came up behind him and pealed him off of her. And before Elena could process it, Mason was being beat… By Damon.

"Damon! Stop!" She shrieked when the man continued relentlessly. "Damon!"

"What's going on over here?" Caroline and Tyler came rushing out with some employees. Damon stopped and Elena went over and wrapped her arms around Damon as if to keep him from jumping on Mason again.

She didn't realize that she was still crying until Damon started wiping her tears away.

Mason stood up, his pretty face looked all bloody now.

"What the fuck, man?" Tyler stood up for his brother.

"Calm down. I think you should talk to your brother, Lockwood. He was the one going to rape Elena." Damon hissed.

Caroline's eyes widened and she shook her head, rushing to Elena. "Oh my god, Elena! Are you okay? I am so sorry. I had no idea his brother was going to be such a creep." Elena pulled away from Damon to hug her best friend.

"It's… okay. I'm okay." She whispered back, looking back at Damon and mouthing 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.' He mouthed back ruefully.


	10. Had Enough

**_This chapter is that fight chapter. Sort of. I know exactly what's going to happen next but I didn't want to write it in the same chapter SO this is going to be shorter. It needed to happen to transition the story and the next chapter will have A LOT of stuff. Also, I don't know how long this story is going to be, exactly. I'm looking at least 15 chapters though. That's if I manage to drag out the current problems out successfully. xD So here it is! I know it kinda sucks because I was going through a bit of writer's block but I'll try to update sooner than I did with this one._**

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"God, Elena… I'm so sorry…" Caroline just wouldn't stop apologizing. "You must've been so scared… Ugh, that creep! I had no idea! I'll totally understand if you hate me forever." She rambled on. Elena secretly loved when her friend did this—it brought out the caring side of her even if it was a little annoying.

She smiled gently at her. "Really, Care, I'm okay. Damon came just in time…" Damon. God, she shouldn't have deliberately tried to make him jealous with Mason. Maybe then this wouldn't have happened. "And I can't hate you forever, you're my best friend."

Caroline pressed her lips together and looked like she was suppressing a cry then she wrapped her arms around Elena. Instead of immediately getting changed and comfortable, the two had gone to Elena's couch to talk about it. Caroline felt it would be easier for Elena but she felt that there wasn't really all that much to talk about. But maybe she could tell Caroline her true intentions. "Just don't make me go on another double date with you unless I know who the guy is." Elena suggested with a small, tension breaking laugh.

Caroline nodded and smiled. "Never again will I try to play matchmaker. Promise."

"Deal." Elena grinned.

"What was Damon doing there anyway?" She asked after a few seconds.

Elena shrugged, visibly tensing up at the topic. "I don't know. He was with someone."

"You were watching him weren't you? He was probably watching you too." She was trying to hide her smile.

"I was not watching him!" Elena defended before Caroline gave her a look that made her sigh and nod. "Fine… I was watching him and… I… I don't know what came over me. I felt like…"

"Like you wanted to make him jealous because you were jealous." Caroline finished sympathetically.

Elena nodded grimly, looking down at her lap.

Caroline pursed her lips. "Elena, you don't have to feel guilty for feeling the way you do about him. It's not like you can do anything to stop it." She rationalized.

"Yeah, I guess." Elena shrugged again, not looking up at her friend.

Suddenly, Caroline's phone began to ring. "Hold on." She told Elena before answering her phone.

"Mom? Are you okay? … Oh my god. I'm coming over, okay? Just calm down." Caroline quickly turned the phone off. "Elena, I am so, so sorry but I have to go. My mom… Just found dad with… someone else."

Elena watched Caroline with concern and nodded, "I understand. I'm so sorry. Your mom needs you."

"I'll be back as soon as I can and I'll text you." She said, getting up before heading out.

Elena had always been jealous of Caroline when it came to her parents. They were both alive and well and together while hers died many, many years ago. But now, she felt bad for her best friend. Couldn't anything last? Didn't everyone deserve to be happy for a long period of time? That's what was on her mind after Caroline left. Happiness and whether it was really attainable. Elena had always liked to think it was—no matter how much hardship one went through. There was always a reason to be happy. There was always a reason to smile.

But the more she thought about it, the more she questioned whether It was really possible to be happy.

And on cue, there was a knock on the door. Elena stood up slowly, wondering who it could be at this hour. Caroline wouldn't have returned that quickly and even if she did, she would have called or texted her first. As Elena walked to the door she realized that she was still wearing that skanky dress from earlier and began to pull down on the hem subconsciously.

And guess who she found after she opened the door? Damon Salvatore.

"Damon? What are you doing here?" She asked, looking shocked and a little wary.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay." He said roughly. Damn it, she was still wearing that dress. He wanted to tell her she was never allowed to wear anything like that again unless it was for him—but that wouldn't be very appropriate. He had no claim on her (as much as he wanted a claim). But fuck, did she look sexy. Her hair was a mess but it just made her more irresistible.

"I'm fine." She said, folding her arms across her chest, feeling the need to cover herself as his eyes traveled shamelessly around her body. He then made his way inside. At first, Elena was unsure of how to react to that but then she decided not to react at all. Instead, she just followed him into her apartment.

Then his eyes found hers and suddenly they were cold. "What were you thinking?" He asked harshly.

"Excuse me?" Elena snapped, regretting letting him into her home.

"What were you doing with Mason Lockwood?" Was he jealous?

"That's none of your business." She barked. "Besides, you were with that woman. Am I not allowed to be with anyone else?"

"Oh, so you're _with _Mason?" Damon's eyes narrowed at her as their tones got higher.

"I'm not _with _anyone." Elena hissed. "I didn't even choose to go out with Mason, okay?"

"What are you talking about?"

"It was a double date with Caroline and Tyler. She begged me to tag along."

"Either way, it was incredibly stupid how you were leading him on like that. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that he did what he did." He noticed that? Of course he did. Elena remembered Caroline telling her that he was probably watching her too. "If you had no intentions of being with him or sleeping with him, why let him think that you were into him?" Damon pressed.

Elena glared at him. "What about you?"

"What _about _me?" Damon retorted. "Why are you trying to turn this around every time?"

"What were you doing with her?" Elena ignored his questions again.

"Andy? I was on a date with her." And just like that, Elena felt as if he had slapped her. "See, unlike you, I'm actually answering questions."

"Get out." Elena snapped at him.

"What, I tell the truth and you want me to leave?" He asked. "What did you want to hear? That she was just a friend? That would make things worse because you saw what was going on between us tonight." He rolled his eyes.

She knew what she did want to hear but it was too stupid to tell him. She thought that maybe he would tell her it was a mistake and that he just wanted her. It was normal for a girl to think that way, though right? A lump formed in her throat and she began blinking when she realized that her eyes were watering.

"I don't want to see you." She said thickly.

"Don't try anything like that with Mason again, got it? He's bad news."

"Right, because I'm gonna decide to jump into the arms of the guy who harassed me." She rolled her eyes.

"Don't act like I couldn't see what you were trying to do. And guess what? You were successful. You achieved trying to make me jealous, happy?"

"Just leave me alone, Damon. Go away." She pleaded.

"Fine."

And just like that, he was gone.

* * *

**_In this story, Caroline's parents stayed together. And it was just now that her mom caught her dad with another man. So that's the story with Caroline if anyone was wondering and if it was unclear. Please review!_**


	11. Skinny Love

**_This is an emotional chapter but I feel like I really failed it, to be honest. I did my research on the earth quake that Damon, Lexi, and their mom was in even though I didn't get way too into it and am probably messing stuff up a little but oh well. wikipedia . org/wiki/ 2002_ Mindanao_earthquake Or you can google 2002 Mindanao earthquake. Sorry I couldn't do this chapter much justice! Also, is there any particular direction you would like to see this headed in for the next few chapters? I really would love your input on this (because I seriously need to figure out what I'm going to do now lololol). So please, please, please review! The more reviews I get, the earlier I'll update._**

* * *

Elena wasn't sure how she ended up there but she had somehow landed in front of her mother's grave. When her parents had first died, Elena was often found near their burial ground—it was a way to help her cope. But it faded away and she didn't visit as often after a while (which was a good idea, according to Aunt Jenna, because if it got any worse she would have signed Elena up for counseling). Over the years, she found that she visited her parents during times of hardships or distress. She would come and ask them for advice despite their lack of response. She just felt better about everything and felt as if they were really listening. It usually helped too, because she could figure out what her mother and father would say and that would help her decide. Although it was helpful for Elena to come visit her parents' graves, it was incredibly painful. Not only did it mean that she had to remind herself of the fact that they were gone forever, but that her life wasn't exactly going in the direction she had hoped it would be going in.

She felt a little pathetic for going to her mother's grave just because she had boy problems but to be honest, Elena never really had the chance to talk about boys with her while she was alive. She never had any issues. Elena was a popular girl and all they really had to talk about was sex and being safe. That was pretty awkward. And even when she did have small problems, she didn't talk to her mom about it. Bonnie and Caroline were always there. It was a teen thing—perfectly normal. But Elena wished she could change it so she had a chance to talk to her mother more.

What's done is done.

Elena clutched her jacket tighter around her slim body before setting a bouquet of flowers down on the ground in front of Miranda Gilbert's tombstone. "Hey, Mom." She spoke casually. "I know… Long time no see. I have a lot to fill you in on. See… I kind of came here for help. With boys. Well, a boy, actually." She paused, wondering how to phrase this. It felt as if Miranda was standing right there in front of her looking impatient.

"_Well, Elena, spit it out!" _She could almost hear her say.

"Mom… You don't even realize how hard it is without you here, okay? Caroline says she doesn't talk to her mom much about boys but she talks to her dad about them… But I guess it's sort of the same thing. But it's just so hard… Knowing that you're not here to listen to me rant or give me advice… It's so hard knowing Dad's not here with the shotgun." She stifled a laugh, her eyes watering a bit. "I wish…" She began regretfully, "That I had been different when you were alive. I wish that I had been closer to you. I wish I could have had all those experiences before you died. I remember people told me that our relationship would only get better as I got older. That when I was older, you would seem more like a best friend than a restricting mother." She smiled a little bit. "But I never got to experience that. I feel like a whole part of my life is missing and I can't do anything to bring it back. And I'm sorry for everything that I couldn't do for you." A stray tear rolled down her cheek.

"_I'm always here, Elena. Always." _She knew that's what she would say. And in a way, she was right. Even though she was gone, she was still there.

"I.. Stefan cheated on me… Again… But this time I knew before I actually saw him with her… And I tried to get him back by cheating on him with someone he used to be close with…" Elena started. "But I ended up developing feelings for him. The guy I was sleeping with—who by the way is my history professor—I know, Mom, pretty fucked up." She laughed. "Mom, I care about him a lot… And I know I don't just like him for the sex—even though that's really great—awkward, moving on… I just… I've hurt him so many times now and I just don't know what to do any more."

Elena pursed her lips together and stared at the flowers on the ground. "I'm scared that he won't want anything to do with me after everything that I've done. He's been nothing but good to me. Just… Tell me what I should do, Mom, because I don't know."

"Well, you could start by actually telling me all of that yourself." Elena heard a familiar voice behind her. She jumped, gasping and turning around to realize that it was none other than Damon standing there. How long had he been there for?

"Damon?" She could feel the blush creeping onto her cheeks. Fuck, fuck, fuck. It didn't really matter how much of it he heard because he had obviously heard enough.

"Hey." He grinned at her.

"I…" _I don't know what to say._ Elena stared at him, still at shock. How could he be here right now? Why did she have the most rotten luck on the planet?

"So you _do _care about me?" He pressed.

"Of course, I do."

"You must be really good at hiding it because I felt like you were feeling the exact opposite." He smirked.

"You don't know what I feel." Elena snapped, suddenly feeling very angry at his cockiness.

"And you don't know what _I _feel." Damon replied then on a more serious note.

"And what's that?" Elena asked.

"That you're so different from anyone I have ever met. I care about you more than you can imagine, Elena. I feel like… I can forgive myself and be happy when I'm around you. I feel like you're my savior. Like when I'm with you, nothing else in the world matters."

Elena was shocked by his confession—not the unpleasant kind of shock though. She actually felt a leap in her stomach and there was a silly smile on her face as she stared at him.

"What?" Damon asked, arching a brow.

"I just… I didn't know you felt that way…" Elena admitted.

"Well, that's why I told you, right?" He shrugged.

"What are you doing here?" Elena finally asked as the awkwardness began to creep in.

He seemed to stiffen up but he still answered. "I came to see my mom and sister." He held up flowers before picking a rose out of one of the bouquets and handed it to her.

"Thank you.." Elena smiled, taking it and automatically taking in the delicious scent.

He nodded and began to walk towards a different grave. Elena wasn't sure if she should follow him at first. He probably did want some privacy so she stayed at her spot until he looked over at her expectantly.

"Sorry… I wanted to give you privacy." She said, walking over.

Damon shook his head. "No, it's alright. It's probably a better idea to have someone here with me." He assured her. It was a better idea to have _her _with him. Whenever he came by to visit his mother and sister, his nights usually ended pretty nasty. He ended up going through nearly the same thing he went through the night they died. It meant heavy drinking and very depressing thoughts. Elena seemed to really lift him from that so maybe she would make a difference by just standing there.

He was surprised when she reached over and took his hand, giving it a supportive squeeze. "What happened?" She asked lightly.

Seeing the pain in his eyes made her regret asking that question at all. Maybe this was too soon. She didn't want him to tell her anything he didn't want to. But she knew letting it out helped—it helped her (even if her parents' deaths still haunted her today). She was just about to tell him that he didn't have to talk about it when he began to speak.

"It was nine years ago… And I was twenty one … Still very young and naïve." He started. "We were in the Philippines—Mindanao. My father was on a business trip and decided to take us all with him. It was Lexi's thirteenth birthday that day. And this place, Elena, it was so beautiful. She was so happy. It didn't even matter that our father wasn't really around. But then… That day, that earth quake hit. It was terrible. The death count was roughly fifteen which doesn't seem like a lot—but it was still people… It was still them. I tried to save them, Elena but I couldn't get to them in time. My mom saved Lexi and I and got killed—only Lexi still got crushed. I watched her die in front of me, Elena. I tried getting her out but there was nothing I could do—no one was coming. Not until it was too late anyway." Damon finished quietly, looking down at his feet.

"Damon, oh my god!" Elena gasped, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. At first he was non-responsive but slowly, she felt his arms snake around her waist and pull her tighter against him. "I'm so sorry." Elena murmured against his chest before pulling away. "You don't blame yourself do you?" She asked suspiciously.

Damon only stared at her, unable to reply.

"You can't blame yourself for something like that. It wasn't your fault. I understand how hard that must have been but you can't keep blaming yourself." She reached up and stroked her cheek.

"It was a lot easier to forget when you were around." He admitted with a whisper, closing his eyes.

"I'm not leaving you," She replied softly.

He opened his crystal blue eyes and Elena stared deep into them—getting lost. She could see the sorrow in there (something she had noticed even before now), she could see other things too, though. Like passion, and was there relief? "I'm sorry for everything that I have done." Elena whispered. "God! I probably made everything worse." She groaned, slapping her forehead.

Damon chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Shh." He said before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers. "It's okay." He murmured against her lips. "I was kind of a dick."

"Kind of?" Elena teased before kissing him back and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Now are you going to tell me what _you _were doing here?" He asked, arching a brow and pulling away.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you could tell." Elena smiled weakly.

Damon nodded. "Getting boy help from your dead mother." He smirked.

Elena frowned. "That wasn't funny."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." He apologized earnestly.

She broke out into a grin. "I was kidding! But yeah, that's exactly what I was doing."

She knew what he wanted to hear from her and she could tell he didn't want to ask. He didn't want to pry.

"My parents… They both died in a car accident when I was sixteen. Six years ago." She explained. "See, Damon, I know exactly how you feel when you blame yourself. My parents they died because I was careless and selfish." He furrowed his brow at her, but not speaking, just waiting for her to continue.

"I was out partying that night. And I got drunk. Really drunk. I called them and asked them to pick me up and they came, of course. But they were so disappointed in me. They were so angry, Damon. And… We ran into this car… Then fell off of a bridge. They died but I survived."

His eyes widened and suddenly, they were both embracing each other again. "I'm so sorry." He whispered into her hair.

"But I don't blame myself for it anymore. Because they wouldn't want me to feel that way. They would want me to be happy." She told him, leaning away to look into his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure your sister and mother would want the same for you."

He smiled lightly.

"Thank you, Elena." He told her.

She replied by kissing his lips.


	12. The Way I Am

**_I know, I know, FINALLY! Right? Haha. It's been what? Five months? Oh god. I really am sorry about not updating this in so long. But here it is! This is really short so sorry again lololol. But I didn't want to rush into everything in one chapter. _**

* * *

It couldn't possibly have been just that easy right? How could she fall back into him so quickly? How could he welcome her with open arms like this so easily? All was forgiven, it seemed. Things were going back to the way they were… Actually, they were much better than the way they were. Before, there were problems that were coming between them. Before, they hadn't admitted their feelings. But it was different now. They both wanted the same thing now. They were both on the same page.

It was perfect. Elena couldn't ask for anything more. Well, besides them not being in a teacher/student relationship but besides that detail it really was amazing. When in each others' homes, they acted like a couple. They acted like they belonged together and to be honest, that's what it felt like. Elena couldn't imagine a time when she was happier than when she was with Damon for the past few weeks. With the way things were going, she was a little worried that something bad would happen. Was it possible for something to ever go so well for her?

"Hey, I have a surprise for you." Damon said huskily into the phone when Elena answered it.

Immediately, a smile radiated across her face as she answered. "Do you now?" She answered seductively. It was kind of a game for them, talking in such a tone when on the phone. It often led to much more explicit things. "What kind of surprise?"

"Now if I told you, would it be a surprise?" He chuckled. So he was serious about the surprise thing, then. It wasn't a new roleplay sex surprise, it was an actual surprise. Elena was definitely curious now. "Come on, you know I don't like surprises." She whined, pouting as if he was standing right in front of her.

"It's not a _bad _surprise. Just be at my place in an hour." And before Elena could protest, he hung up. What the hell was she supposed to wear? She had no idea what he meant by 'surprise'. Well, if it was at his apartment, then she knew it didn't have to do with them going anywhere. She also knew that he wouldn't mind if she showed up in sweatpants. But she wanted to know what the occasion was so she could dress appropriately for him. No matter how many times he told her she looked beautiful no matter what, Elena wanted to look good for him.

She ended up putting on a simple white dress before heading over to Damon's place.

* * *

"So what's the occasion?" Elena asked as she stepped into his apartment with a smile on her face.

"Does there need to be one? Can't I do something special for my girl?" He grinned, pressing a quick kiss to her lips as a greeting. His girl huh? That was the first time he had called her that. He had sensed Elena's hesitation and sobered up a bit. "You are my girl, right?" He asked.

Elena mirrored the grin that was on his face just moments ago and nodded. "Yes, of course I am." So now it was official. She was officially Damon Salvatore's girlfriend. She was dating her professor. Ugh, lord.

"So what's the sur—" Elena began as he took her hand and lead her deeper into the apartment. She was shocked into silence, however, thanks to how different things looked from the last time she was here. The lighting was dim—lit by tall white candles that were all over the place. Roses and their petals were also scattered about. "You're such a cheesy romantic." Elena teased, leaning against him as she admired the area.

He kissed her cheek then released her hand. "I made us dinner."

"If your dinner is half as good as your breakfast is, I can't wait." Elena answered, walking over to the round table in the middle of the room as he gestured her to it. Damon pulled out her chair before she smiled and seated herself, watching as Damon sat in the seat across from her.

"Oh, trust me, Elena. This is better." Damon winked at her.

"This is just… Wow… It's amazing." She still could barely get over everything that he had done. It was so simple yet she was so touched by it.

"I'm glad you think so too." Damon leaned back in his chair and smirked before he suddenly jumped up, remembering that the food in the kitchen was probably finished. "I'll be right back!" He announced.

* * *

Dinner was even better than Damon had told her it would be. She was incredibly confused as to why he hadn't chosen the profession of a chef instead of a college professor. It would sure as hell have made their lives easier at this point.

While Damon didn't intentionally call her over for intimacy, they had somehow ended up on the couch in front of the television that played a romance movie which was long forgotten. It had actually started off as a contest of sort. Damon had claimed that he was a far better lover than the man on the screen. Elena being Elena challenged him to that. So he started off with feathered kisses along her shoulder and neck, his hands wandering around her body. His lips had continued to travel up and before they knew it, their lips were locked, their clothes were off and she was lying on top of him.

When the door bell rang, they both were caught off guard. Damon looked a little bit angry, too. "What the hell. I wasn't expecting anyone else." He grunted as Elena slid off of him, taking his shirt and pulling it over her head.

She followed Damon to the door, curious. But who they found on the other side completely shocked them both.

"Dad?" Damon furrowed his brows together, standing in the door way. There was no way he was going to let that man in, especially now of all times.

"Damon…" Giuseppe's blue eyes went from his son to the half naked woman standing beside him. "You must be Elena." He said in a rather sweet voice. Too sweet. One with venom coated underneath.

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**_How does Giuseppe know who Elena is? What does he want? You'll find out ;) Review!_**


	13. When A Heart Breaks

"… I should probably get going anyway. You two should talk." Elena stood there wide eyed, staring between father and son. They both seemed to have forgotten she was there. They were staring each other down so intensely that it took Elena some courage to finally say something.

Giuseppe didn't say anything, merely glanced at her then returned back to Damon. Damon did answer, however. "I'll call you later." His tone was rough, almost harsh and he barely looked her way as she rushed to put on her clothes, grab her things and leave the apartment.

She wondered what was going on that had made Damon act like this. His father seemed almost amused and for some reason, that had gotten to Damon even more. Confused, she made her way home, planning to drown her suspicions in Netflix.

* * *

He only ever came here when he wanted something or if he was up to something. Their relationship had watered down over the years where a simple drop by visit was very strange. The expression on his face and the way that he had greeted Elena (how did he know who she was?)… It just made Damon more suspicious and more hesitant about his father's visit. Nothing good would come out of it.

"What a beautiful young lady, I'm hurt that you haven't told me about her." He began as soon as Elena left, a small smirk on his face.

Damon rolled his eyes. "We don't exactly have family dinners, Father."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Cut the crap, what do you want? Why are you here?" Damon asked, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for an answer impatiently.

Giuseppe walked into his son's home, sitting down on a couch before gesturing for him to sit. Damon followed him but remained standing.

"I'm here because I'm worried about you, son." He knew that Damon was already rolling his eyes so he continued. "Because you refuse to take on the company and you refuse to settle into a lifestyle that's stable."

"Please, we've gone over this a million times now. You try to convince me to join the family business, I refuse, you get pissed and storm off… Do we really need to play it out again?" Damon retorted.

"Ah, but you see, this time is different. This time I have the answer to everything. Katherine Pierce." The smile on his face grew.

"What does that bitch have to do with anything?" Damon asked, temper rising.

"Katherine Pierce is the daughter of one of my partners and I know that she would do a great job at running this company one day. She has already accepted your marriage proposal." His father then stood up, having decided that he had announced the news that he had come here for.

"Accepted my _what_?" Damon shouted out in shock. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Damon, you are going to marry Katherine Pierce." Giuseppe answered simply, smoothing out the folds of his shirt.

"What makes you think that I'll just marry her?" Damon knew that his father wouldn't have attempted this if he didn't have a plan to get him to follow through.

"Because of that girl. Elena. I know that she's your student, Damon. Did you know she wants to be a lawyer? How far do you think she'll be able to go with that sort of record?"

And just like that, Damon could hear his world crashing down on him. It all made sense now. The way he had emphasized on Elena, how he had looked at her. Katherine. Katherine had definitely told him. They both knew that he would do whatever he could do to protect Elena and they were using that against him. They knew that he wouldn't let her destroy her future for him.

He knew exactly why now, of all times, he would listen to his father. It was because of her. Elena. It was because he loved her.

Damon Salvatore was in love and there was nothing he could do about it. He was in love and he now had to marry someone else. He was prepared to protect her at all costs.

"Are you that selfish? That you would sacrifice your only son's happiness for an heir to your company?" He seethed out at his father.

"Damon, one day you'll see that I'm doing this for your own good." Giuseppe answered a little more solemnly. "I'll be in touch about the wedding." He patted Damon's shoulder before leaving.

Damon stood there, numb. This was actually going to happen, wasn't it? He had fought for Elena and they had finally won. They were finally happy but of course that wasn't going to last. He had to tell her… But he couldn't tell her the truth. She wouldn't let their relationship go to waste. She would be the one to insist there was another way. But there wasn't another way. There was no way to reason or argue with his father when he had that kind of threat over them. Her future wasn't worth the risk.

Besides, Elena could find someone better than him anyway. In a few years she will have moved on and she will be happy with a good guy who loves her (because who could possibly not love Elena?).

* * *

For the next few days, Damon wasn't sure what to do. He ignored her phone calls and avoided her at his lectures. Even when she tried to stop him he would walk away. He knew it wasn't right and that he should at least end things if that's what he needed to do. But he couldn't get himself to do it. He was a coward. He wasn't confident in his ability to confront her. Would he be able to go through with it when she was looking up at him with her warm eyes?

He couldn't face her. But he knew he had to. He was dragging this out and making it painful for both of them.

He was sitting in his living room, looking through some papers when his phone rang. It was Elena. Again. Damon stared at his phone for a few seconds while it rang before taking a deep breath and answering it.

"Damon, thank god. Are you okay? What happened with your dad? Why are you avoiding me?" He could hear both panic and relief in her voice—it was an interesting combination.

"Yes, I'm fine, Elena. Listen, can we meet up?" If he had it his way he would just finish it right here and right now but Elena deserved better than that.

"… Yes, of course." She answered cautiously.

* * *

Damon had suggested they meet at a coffee shop a few hours later and as Elena drove there, she had a funny feeling. The past few days were like hell for her as she tried to figure out what was going on. She had left Damon's place knowing that there was a lot of tension going on between him and his dad. Obviously something had to have happened with him that made Damon close off from her. The only question was what.

She couldn't decide what he was doing now either. If he wanted to tell her what happened, he would probably have picked a more private place for their meeting. Did he want to end things? That didn't make any sense. They had finally been so happy together… What could she have done wrong?

"Hi. It's really good to see you." Damon greeted her. He was already at the coffee shop and had ordered coffees for both of them.

Elena sat down across from him, taking the coffee and thanking him. "Thanks for answering my call." She said a little bitterly.

Damon pressed his lips together. "Sorry… I got busy." He answered vaguely, looking down at his coffee.

"Right… What's going on Damon?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Elena…" He began slowly, looking up at her with those blue eyes. She hadn't seen this look in his since he opened up to her at the cemetery. Sadness. But this was different. He was hurt. "Elena, please just listen to me."

She didn't answer, only waited.

"Elena, whatever this is… Us… We… we can't do this anymore. We need to stop… seeing each other."

What? All of her fears had been confirmed. He _had _brought her here to break up with her.

"Elena?"

"I… thought…" _that we were happy._

"Elena, I'm so sorry. You deserve so much better than me."

She suddenly got up then and walked out.


End file.
